RWBY: Titan Rising
by Nightmare 6-4
Summary: Carmine Sable is known as the "Titan of Remnant" and his past reflects that. He is attending Beacon in hopes to become a Huntsman like so many before him. Will his past come back to haunt him? Can he be the savior of Remnant? Will he avenge the death of his family? Warning: Language, Blood, Gore, and Other Stuff.
1. Chapter 1: Titan Rising

Chapter 1: Titan Rising

A calm breeze blew through the limbs of the Emerald Forest, rustling the leaves and branches. Birds chirped in the distance, suddenly stopping at the sound of twigs snapping from being stepped on. In the distance stood a rather tall man, draped in all black, the sheer sight of this man was enough to stop someone in their tracks. He wore a black hoodie with a red phoenix on the back, he wore a heavy black IBA over the hoodie with a knife attached to the left shoulder. He wore black jeans that had 2 inch thick armor lining in the pant legs, and black steel toe combat boots, slightly blacker from the blood of Grimm he had killed. On his chest he wore a black dog tag, it read Carmine "Titan" Sable, and it had a red King Taijitu with a sword through its head above the name. He wore a pair of black padded gloves that went a little bit past his wrists, which were covered by his sleeves, the gloves were reinforced with steel and carbon fiber plating in the knuckles and fingers. Carmine checked his weapons ammo capacity, he had a Scar-H with a Foregrip, Acog scope, green laser sight, and a muzzle brake which turned into a long sword.

On his hip was an MP7 with a Holographic sight and muzzle brake, the sidearm also turned into a Bowie Knife, Carmine held a gas filtration mask in his hands, the visor was black as night. He reattached the mask, adjusted it to his face and pulled the hood back over his head, breathing in deep to check the filter. As he finished up his diagnostic check he heard a snarl behind him, turning around in time to counter a charging Beowolf. Carmine fired off three rounds, each hitting their mark: neck, head, and chest. The Beowolf was unfazed and stood up on its hind legs and let out a loud howl, as it finished howling, carmine put four more through its chest, where it dropped and started to smoke. Suddenly two more Beowolves appear from the tree line, eyes red as blood, but Carmine was ready. The Titan of a man charged the Grimm, dumping six rounds into one of the Beowolves effectively killing it, he turned the rifle into its sword mode and slashed at the remaining Beowolf, the Grimm swiped at Carmine but missed. Carmine delivered a swift kick upside the Grimm's head, sending it into a nearby tree, he plunged the sword down into the Grimm, finishing it. Carmine collected himself and reloaded his rifle; returning it to his back. He checked the time and saw that it was almost noon "Oh fuck! I'm gonna miss the shuttle!" He exclaimed before he took off towards Vale, he wasn't gonna miss his first day at Beacon Academy.

Carmine finally made it to the air docks where the shuttles to Beacon were docked, he saw students boarding the airships and quickly made it on board one as the door was closing. "Wow, just in the nick of time, aren't you lucky." Carmine looked to see who had said that, his eyes coming to rest on a girl with silver eyes smiling at him, "Oh, your mask looks so spooky, it's so cool." The silver eye girl said in wonder, Carmine couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Yea, that's me, always at the last second, it's a bad habit." Carmine said as he rubbed his neck, the girl extended a hand to the masked man "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." Carmine shook her hand "Carmine, but some know me as Titan." He let go of her hand and adjusted his IBA just as a blonde hair girl bear hugged Ruby "Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" Ruby struggled for air "Please stop." Ruby pleaded, the blonde let go of Ruby who took a deep breath in. The blonde noticed Carmine and whispered to her sister "Who's tall, dark, and silent over there?" Carmine overheard her and decided to introduce himself, but stopped to think to himself quickly 'Introduce myself now or keep up the silent, mysterious charade?' He asked himself but rational thought came flooding back like a freight train when he heard Ruby say his name "Oh, that's Carmine but a lot of people call him Titan." Carmine quickly extended his hand and the blonde grabbed it and shook it "Yang Xiao Long." Yang said, introducing herself "Carmine" he replied.

Their introduction was cut short by a hologram popping up where the news just was "Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" the hologram said. "Who the hell is that?" Carmine said out loud but only the two girls heard him, "My name is Glynda Goodwitch" the hologram said, "I guess that answers your question." Yang said with a smirk. "You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy" Carmine walked to the window and looked out over Vale, slowly tuning Glynda out. He was brought back to reality when he heard the other student's gasps of amazement. "Oh, wow! Look, you can see Signal from up here. I guess home isn't too far after all!" Yang wrapped an arm around her sister, "Beacon's our home, now." Just then they heard someone groaning, a blonde haired boy ran by, covering his mouth. "Well…. I guess the view isn't for everyone" Yang said, rolling her eyes, Carmine chuckled as the airship docked, the blonde boy ran out and emptied his lunch into a nearby trashcan.

Carmine walked behind him and patted him on the back "There there, get it all out it's alright, you're just nervous." The blonde man finished his upchuck session and regained his composure "Thanks for that, the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!" Carmine chuckled a bit "You sure about that?" "They will! Well, I hope they will. My mom always said that…. nevermind" Jaune replied, obviously nervous "Well, I'm Carmine but a lot of people call me Titan so you can call me either one, your choice." Carmine said trying to reassure the blonde knight "I like Titan, it's fitting." Jaune said, noting Carmine's appearance "How'd you think I got the nickname?" Carmine said laughing lightly, looking toward the sky. "So, what's with the mask?" Jaune asked, catching Carmine off guard "Huh? Oh, well two reasons: One being that it helps contain a by product of my Semblance and two is it looks cool as fuck!" Carmine said, striking a confident pose. "What's your semblance?" Jaune asked the masked man, "Well, I can make a charged explosive detonation, either directional meaning at something or someone or outward like around me. The longer I use it, the more of my aura it uses up, it's a double edged sword in that it's powerful but if I'm not careful, it'll kill me. The byproduct of my semblance is hot steam which I exhale, the way my semblance basically rearranges the Oxygen and Nitrogen around me and the Carbon inside of me to create an explosive charge that detonates on impact results in hot steam. The longer I charge it, the bigger the blast. I don't intend on seeing how far it can go." Carmine said, taking a deep breath. Jaune just looked confused "Uh… What?" Jaune asked, to which Carmine just sighed and dropped his head before chuckling lightly "Semblance makes big boom, mouth lets out really hot air." Carmine said trying his best not to sound too condescending. "Oh, gotcha." Jaune said, Carmine patted him on the shoulder. Their little chat was interrupted by a huge explosion, Carmine and Jaune ran toward it, Carmine had his MP7 drawn and ready. They arrived where the smoke was clearing, just to find Ruby and a white haired girl covered in soot "I'm really, really sorry!" Ruby said apologetic "Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon? The white haired girl said with frustration in her voice, "Well, I-I uh…" Ruby stammers trying to speak but before she can form a sentence Carmine cuts in but Jaune tries to stop him but fails, "Hey Queen Bitch! Why don't you back the fuck off, it was a damn accident, shit happens all the time." Carmine picks up one of the dust crystals and throws it off the edge of Beacon "Now, that wasn't an accident." The white haired girl looked appalled "How dare you! Do you know who I am?!" she said with anger in her voice "Nope, and I don't think I would want to know the name of the Bitch Queen, Ruler of being a cunt." Carmine said, bowing sarcastically. "It's heiress, actually. Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee dust company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." This came from a raven haired girl with a bow on her head, "Finally! Some recognition!" Weiss said, smiling smugly. "Oh, shut the fuck up, Q Tip." Carmine said, warranting a death glare from Weiss. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Said the girl with the black bow. "Oh Damn, bet that hurts the ego, don't it." Carmine said laughing "Wha- How dare you- The nerve of… Ugh!" Weiss stammers and storms off. "Later Bitch Queen, I'll keep your throne warm!" Carmine yelled at Weiss, Jaune is speechless "You spoke to an Heiress like that!? Man, you got some huge balls." Jaune said, dumbfounded. "Eh, it was nothing, I mean someone had to knock her off her high horse, believe me, had the girl with black hair not shown up, I would have said some worse stuff." Carmine said. "Uh, Thanks for standing up for me, Carmine." Ruby said sheepishly "Oh, anytime little red. If anyone starts picking on you, let me know and I'll take care of it." Carmine said to Ruby but she just shook her head "That's what I got Yang for, but I'll keep you as back up, ok?" Ruby said giggling. Jaune coughed a little to get Carmines attention, "Oh shit, my bad man. Uh Ruby, this is Jaune, Jaune this is Ruby." They exchanged hellos with each other and started talking about each other's weapons, meanwhile Carmine walks over to the edge of Beacon and looked out into the distance. 'I made it. I made it to Beacon, Onyx' Carmine thought to himself as he looked up into the sky 'I miss you man, it's not the same without you.' Carmine rejoined his new friends "So, where to now?" Ruby asked questioningly "Wait, we were following you." Jaune said, slightly bewildered. Carmine couldn't help but facepalm and chuckle "Follow me, I noticed 'Her Majesty' head that way" Carmine said sarcastically.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the auditorium, filled to the brim with people. "Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" Yang said waving at Ruby. "Oh! Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you two after the ceremony!" Ruby said, making her way to her sister. "Hey, wait! Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?" Jaune said defeated, he walked into the crowd, unknowingly grabbing the attention of a fiery redhead with emerald eyes, Carmine noticed her attention on Jaune and made a mental note of this "Interesting" he said to himself, joining the crowd. Ozpin gets to the microphone "I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Carmine looked around at the other students, who were whispering amongst themselves, he returned his attention to Ozpin who spoke again "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin turned and left but was replaced by Glynda who made an announcement "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Carmine turned to leave but stopped when he saw Jaune talking to Weiss 'Oh Jaune, what are you doing?' he thought to himself shaking his head. He left the auditorium and entered the courtyard, eventually taking a seat on a bench close to the statue in the middle of the campus. Carmine looked around the courtyard, checking to see if the coast is clear; seeing that he was alone he lowered his hood. Undoing the clamps that secured his mask, he removed it and breathed in deep, smelling the air; he exhaled and a white cloud of steam came from his mouth, hot as always.

Carmine opened his eyes and sat the mask down on the bench, his eyes were red but not a lot of people have seen them, he thought to himself 'I guess I should make friends while I'm here, I mean there's Jaune, Ruby, and Yang' his thought was interrupted when someone spoke up "Taking in the scenery, Mr. Sable?" Carmine was caught off guard and looked to see who had addressed him; it was Ozpin, who was holding a mug of coffee, sipping from it. Carmine relaxed at seeing it was just Ozpin "Man, you can't just sneak up on people like that, I need to put a bell on you or something." Carmine said shaking his head, Ozpin chuckled at his remark before he took a seat on the bench that Carmine was sitting on and addressed the new student "Why didn't you go to the ballroom with everyone else, you can't make friends if you're by yourself." Ozpin asked, obviously concerned for the rifleman's well-being. Carmine sighed and spoke up after a minute of silence "Yea, you got a point but I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone just in case my past catches up with me, I assume you've read my file?"

Ozpin nodded his head "I have Carmine and you don't have to worry about your past, consider your first day here a clean slate." Ozpin said patting Carmine on the back, reassuring him "Now, why don't you go make some friends. You've got a big day tomorrow." Ozpin said leaving the rifleman alone again. "Well, let's do this!" Carmine said to himself as he reattached his mask, testing the steam purge function on the side and lifting his hood back in place on his head.

Carmine entered the ballroom and noticed it was gender separate, boys on the left and girls on the right. He went to the left and found an open spot next to some other students, he sat against the wall and surveyed the crowd, noticing Ruby and Weiss arguing about something which only made him chuckle 'It seems they got off to a bad start, than again, I did kind of insult her by calling her Queen Bitch' he thought to himself. He was brought to attention when he heard someone sit next to him and they spoke to him "Hey there, how'd your first day go?" Carmine turned his attention to the guy next to him, he had an athletic build to him, semi tan skin, and bluish green eyes. He wore a white shirt with a black long sleeve button up shirt, unbuttoned all the way. Black jeans with red and green stripes going down the side. He had spiked brown hair and a scar over his right eye, "It could have gone better but besides a little argument I got into, I can't complain." Carmine said. The new guy smiled and laughed a little "I'm Celadon!" He said extending his hand outward, "I'm Carmine but some call me Titan." He said, shaking Celadon's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Carmine, and I look forward to working with you." Celadon said to which Carmine nodded "Likewise."

The two new friends looked out over the crowd while talking "You ready for tomorrow?" Celadon asked. "Yea, I've been hoping for a challenge and hopefully this will deliver." Carmine replied, sounding eager for the next day "Well, let's hope we get put on the same team." Celadon said optimistically "I have a feeling we will, but who will the other two be?" Carmine said wondering who else will be on his team. Carmine looked up and saw there in the rafters of the roof, a spot that would be comfortable but one problem: there was no ladder or stairs, but he put his problem solving brain to work, spotting heavy duty support beams and ledges, all he would need to do was scale the wall, grab the ledge, climb on to the support beam and walk to the spot he saw, simple. He tapped Celadon on the shoulder to get his attention "Hey Celadon, I'm gonna try and make it to that spot there up in the rafters." Carmine said pointing to the spot, Celadon looked at the spot and the course Carmine plotted out only to shrug his shoulders "Good luck." Celadon said. With that Carmine took off his boots so he wouldn't destroy the wall and put them in his pack which he put on his back, now taking off full speed toward the wall, he planted a foot on the wall then leaped into the air and grabbed the ledge, pulling himself up and sat on the ledge so he could put his boots back on. He stood up and slowly walked across the beam, keeping his balance in check by holding on to the rafter for support.

By this time, a small crowd had gathered and they were quietly cheering him on, he inched his way to the middle of the beam, looking toward his target; he stepped across a gap to another beam, causing the crowd to gasp. He finally made it to the spot and sat in his new temporary throne, taking in the sight below; he leaned back against the wall and pulled out his scroll, the screen lighting up the spot causing Carmine to notice some writing on the roof above him 'Onyx was here' he read it quietly 'Onyx had the same idea, wow. Who knew my brother and I both have the same idea' Carmine thought to himself as he unlatched his mask and placed it in his pack, finally getting comfortable. Tomorrow was a big day, his team would be decided, but how? He would just have to wait and see.

Looking at the writing on the roof again, he couldn't help but smile. He reached into his pack and pulled out a black marker, taking the cap off and writing 'Carmine was here' next to his brother's graffiti. "There, now we both have our mark on this school." He said to himself, putting the marker away. Carmine crawled further into the hidden spot in the wall, stretching out and getting comfortable again, eventually falling asleep.

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought and what I can do better with, [2018: I made some much needed updates. / ] and remember to Favorite and Follow. This is Nightmare 6-4 signing off)**


	2. Chapter 2: New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs. Enjoy!**

 **(A/N: A big thanks to The Burning Ruler for all the help with the first chapter, you the real MVP.)**

 **Warning: Blood and some Gore**

 **The smell of burning trees fills the air, gunshots can be heard in the distance along with the screams of civilians. Grimm fill the horizon, their blood red eyes piercing the black smoke, their teeth bloodied from their victims. Carmine stands among the carnage dazed and confused, someone can be heard screaming his name.**

 **"Carmine! Carmine you've got to fucking move!" The voice yelled, Carmine turned around to see a man running toward him. He had jet black hair, purple eyes, he wore a UTG law vest with a name patch on the left pectoral that read "Sable". He was running toward Carmine holding his side, two people behind him firing at a few Beowolve's that were chasing the man, he made it to Carmine and shook him violently "Snap the fuck out of it, come on!" the man screamed at him, Carmine came back to reality and looked around at the carnage "Onyx, what's going on? Where's the rest of the squ-" before Carmine could finish his sentence, an explosion went off, shaking the ground; sending bits of rock and dirt everywhere. The smell of burning flesh and blood filled the air, a human torso flew through the brush, its skin singed from the explosion. Carmine looked back at Onyx in horror only to be met with Onyx's face being distorted, his purple eye were now black, soulless pits. His mouth also a black pit, no lips or teeth. A distorted voice screamed at him "You Killed Us!" He was now surrounded in darkness, the black air filling his lungs, suffocating him.**

Carmine shot awake, breathing heavily with his arm outstretched as if grabbing at something but nothing was there. His eyes focused on the sibling graffiti that was on the roof of the hole he was in, he looked out into the ballroom and could see some sunlight painting the walls, signaling that it was now morning. He grabbed his scroll to check the time, '6:00 am, might as well start the day and get ready' he thought to himself, stretching his body in order to make his descent.

He reattached his gas mask, testing the steam purge function again. He pulled his hood back over his head and started tying his boots, pulling the pants leg over them, the bottoms still coated with dried Grimm blood. He collected his belongings and moved out of the hole in the wall, he patted his pockets to make sure he had everything with him. He started walking over the beam, one foot in front of the other; taking his time so he doesn't fall.

Making it to the ledge, he looked over the ballroom for a safe landing zone, he spotted an opening among the sleeping bodies, a seven foot by 6 foot hole. 'I'm going to have to aim this perfectly, alright. One, Two, Three!' counting in his thoughts, he jumped on three landing in the middle of the hole, his knees bending perfectly. He remained still for a minute, not making a noise, his landing was surprisingly quiet considering his build and what he was wearing. Slowly he stood up as to not disturb anyone, he scanned the room for signs of movement but everything was motionless save for a couple of people rolling over in their sleep. Step by step, he crept out of the ballroom and through the doors that lead to the courtyard, he walked out into the courtyard and looked around, there wasn't a soul in sight. Carmine started to jog around campus which eventually turned into a sprint, the weight of his equipment and pack gave him resistance which would help further increase his stamina.

After an hour of running, Carmine went and sat on the edge of Beacon, his feet hanging off the edge overlooking the water. Checking to see if anybody was around, he unlatched his mask pulling it off and setting it on the ground next to him. He breathed in the unfiltered air, taking in the different scents and smells around him. He laid back on the ground looking into the sky, thinking about what the training exercise is going to bring. After laying down for ten minutes, Carmine decided to go prep for today's training, he collected his bag and reattached his mask pulling the hood back up.

Carmine entered the locker room, going to locker 245 and putting his stuff inside of it; he started prepping for initiation, he loaded his spare scar mags with .308 rounds, putting them in the Heavy IBA's pockets. Next were the spare MP7 mags, loading them with 4.6x30mm, two being fire dust mags. With those mags loaded, he put them in the side pockets of the Heavy IBA; next was his backup Ka-Bar which he put in his shoulder sheath, hearing it click meaning it's locked in place. He reached in his bag and pulled out three M67 Dust Frag Grenades, consisting of fire, lightning, and ice; Carmine put them in a pouch on his right side, snapping it closed. Taking his MP7 out of the locker, he placed it in a side holster snapping the safety strap over it, followed up by his Scar-H which he adjusted the sight then he put it on his back.

 **(A/N: Sorry that was so pain stakingly boring, I don't think I could have made that any better.)**

Now fully equipped and armed Carmine left for the cafeteria to grab something quick to eat, the minute he left the locker room and turned the corner he ran into Ozpin who unfazed. "Oh shit I mean, uh good morning sir, I was just going to breakfast before going to the cliffs." Carmine said, his voice shaking a little from being startled by Ozpins sudden appearance. "Breakfast? While armed like you're ready for the apocalypse?" Ozpin asked with a chuckle "Oh, yea in hindsight I should have gotten breakfast first then armed up." Carmine said rubbing the back of his head. "Well, as long as you know what you're doing, I'll see you at the cliffs, remember 11 am." Ozpin said, saying goodbye to Carmine.

Carmine entered the cafeteria to get some breakfast but was met with a lot of stares and gasps, 'was it the weapons or my appearance?' he shook the thought from his head, grabbing some bacon, hash browns, and an apple. Finding a table in the corner away from the other students, Carmine unlatched his gasmask and set it to the side on the table, keeping his hood up and his face down, Carmine ate in silence checking the time every now and then. The silence was broken when Celadon came and sat down in front of him "I finally found you, I was wondering where you went." Celadon said breaking the silence "Oh, yea I woke up early and went for a run then I prepped my gear." Carmine said not looking up, Celadon quickly noticed "Is something wrong, Carmine? You're not looking up." Celadon asked with concern in his voice. "Oh, I'm fine I'm just not wearing my gasmask." Carmine said pointing to his right. Celadon was utterly confused "So what, are you being hunted by the government or something?" He asked chuckling but Carmine kept a straight face "No, it's because of my semblance, the byproduct of it is I sometimes breathe out extremely hot steam. It can severely burn someone so I'd rather not risk hurting someone." Carmine said to which Celadon just nodded his head understandingly "Oh, well now I get it. Good thing you're on our side." Celadon said laughing.

Carmine and Celadon finished up breakfast and with Carmine reattaching his gas mask, they made their way to the cliffs. Exiting the cafeteria they crossed the courtyard, reaching the building with the locker rooms. Entering the locker room, Celadon started prepping his weapons; he had a G-36c with a PSO1 Sight, foregrip, and a drum mag, the magazine had a white skull on the front of it. His weapon wasn't like others, it didn't turn into a melee but it turned into a DMR or Designated Marksman Rifle, switching from short range to long range. His secondary was a Saiga 12 with a foregrip and a Drum mag, filled with a mix of dust rounds.

As Celadon was prepping, Carmine couldn't help but over here a conversation about sloth noises, he listened closer, "Nora?" The black haired guy said, 'So, the one with the orange hair is Nora, right.' Carmine thought to himself as he continued to listen "Yes, Ren?" Nora replied 'And that makes him Ren.' Carmine thought to himself and continued to listen in "I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." Ren said 'Do sloths make a lot of noise? Damn it I got to stay focused' Carmine thought as he walked to his locker, making sure he had everything he might need, he tested the steam purge in his mask, making a loud hiss sound that rang out in the quiet room, grabbing the attention of Ruby and Yang. "Oh hey Carmine, I see you're ready." Ruby said as she pulled out her Scythe "Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." "Does your sweetheart have a name?" Carmine asked "Yes, this is Crescent Rose." Ruby said hugging her weapon lovingly. "Do yours have a name?" She asked Carmine, He thought for a moment before shaking his head "No, I never stopped to think of a name. I'll think of something later." Carmine said, closing his locker. "Let's get going, that cliff is calling my name!" Carmine said enthusiastically

Carmine, Celadon, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and two others were standing on the cliff in front of Ozpin and Glynda, Ozpin spoke first "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Glynda spoke after him "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Ozpin spoke again "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ruby was utterly shocked, letting out a loud "WHAT!" Ozpin spoke again "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Jaune raised his hand but went un-noticed by Ozpin "Good! Now, take your positions." Ozpin said

Carmine watched as the line of springboards went off one after another, when it got to him, he shot Celadon a Salute before being shot into the forest. Triggering his semblance he formed a charge in each hand, detonating one launching him down into the forest, the explosion cut down some trees while the second one stopped him from impacting but he blew a crater in the forest floor, Carmine walked out of the smoking crater and looked up as other students flew over. Carmine looked forward and couldn't see anything but trees, Carmine charged his supernova for forty seconds, he ran forward and punched a tree causing twenty feet of trees to vaporize instantly. When the smoke cleared, Carmine was surprised at the devastation "Damn, I didn't expect it to be that big, I wonder if Celadon saw that?" Carmine said but was caught off guard by a noise of something coming through the brush behind him, he drew his MP7 and turned it into a Bowie Knife, holding it upside down ready to strike.

He heard someone speak up loudly in the brush "To answer your question, yes I saw that." Celadon said as he emerged from the brush, walking up to Carmine and the two bumping fists. Carmine spoke up "Alright, let's get moving that temple won't find itself!" The two drew their guns and pushed into the forest, Carmine detonated some trees along the way, clearing a path. Walking through the forest they looked for the other students, scanning the horizon Carmine saw movement ahead. He assumed defense and blew a hole in the ground, creating a makeshift foxhole, Celadon jumped in and readied his weapon. Carmine took aim at the moving brush, turning the safety off and getting ready to fire; suddenly two Beowolves walked through the brush, Celadon dispatched one right off the back with Carmine taking the other.

Carmine shot four rounds in the Beowolf, stunning it and giving him time to run up and place a devastating kick up into its neck, knocking it onto its back. Carmine walked over and stomped down on its throat, sending a loud crack echoing through the forest, the Grimm began to smoke. Carmine and Celadon moved further into the forest, stopping at the sound of gunshots, more importantly the sound of shotgun shells. They ran to the source of the gunshots to find Yang fighting two Ursai, Carmine created another makeshift foxhole, Celadon jumped in and takes point. Carmine yelled to Yang "Yang, get in the foxhole!" Yang jumped in and took cover, Carmine charged up a supernova charge and slammed it into the Ursai, destroying them instantly. The blast cleared the brush out behind the Grimm and exposed an open field with a stone structure at the back. Celadon spoke up "Didn't Ozpin say were looking for the Forest Temple? That looks like what you would picture when someone says the word Temple." They all nodded in agreement and made their way into the clearing.

Carmine broke the silent walk to the temple "So, how the fuck did you end up getting cornered by two Ursai?" Yang gave him a death glare "I was looking for Ruby." She retorted, Carmine just chuckled "Oh Yang, I'm just messing with you. Hey, where's that girl with the black bow?" "Oh, you mean Blake, uh I don't know actually." Yang replied as they got closer to the Temple when suddenly an Ursa appears from the brush and rears up on its hind legs, Carmine and Celadon ready their rifles and Yang readied Ember Celica. They were about to charge in when the Ursa suddenly collapsed, it had a blade sticking out of its neck, Blake stepped out and placed her foot on the dead Ursa's head, pulling the sword out. "Oh Blake, we were just talking about you." Yang said with a smile "I guess you got a partner now, Yang" Carmine said reminding her that she was still looking for a partner. "Now, I wonder where Ruby is?" Yang asked out loud "Red and black skirt, short black hair, Red scythe?" Celadon asked to which Yang shot back "Where is she? Do you see her?" but Celadon was speechless until he managed to get a few words out "Twelve O'Clock High" which caused everyone to look up to see a falling Ruby.

"So, do we have a course of action or should I just go get the giant spatula?!" Carmine asked but Yang reassured him "Just wait." Meanwhile Pyrrha ran from a Deathstalker with Jaune stuck on its stinger, the Grimm shook him around, suddenly stopping and flinging him off into the distance. Flying through the air screaming, Yang heard it "Oh no, some girl is in trouble." She said looking toward the direction of the screaming. Carmine looked up and saw Jaune fly into view "Oh look, there's Jaune I guess he had the same idea as Ruby." Carmine said chuckling but Celadon tapped him on the shoulder "He's coming in way too fast." Celadon said as he was ready to try and catch him in case he didn't have a landing strategy but was surprised when Jaune collided with Ruby, putting them both into a tree. "Well, that works I guess." Celadon said somewhat relieved, "See, I told you she had a landing strategy." Yang said cheerfully, happy to see her sister wasn't a pancake.

"Uh Ruby, how were you falling from the sky? Did you get launched that far?" Carmine asked, somewhat confused "We hitched a ride on a Nevermore." Ruby answered, brushing leaves and dirt off of herself "Wait, we? Where's your partner?" Celadon asked Ruby, somewhat confused by her answer. "Yea, I guess Weiss is still on the bird." Ruby said with nervous laughter. Just then Pyrrha ran through the tree line being chased by a Deathstalker, "Did she run here while being chased by a Deathstalker?" Blake asked confused but was interrupted by an Ursa bursting through the brush, it suddenly collapsing dead with Nora on its back "Aw, it's broken." She said saddened but then took off toward the temple, grabbing a rook chess piece, placing it on her head "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" She sang while dancing but was cut off by Ren. "Nora!" He yelled at her and she took off toward him. "Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked confused but was answered by an angry Yang "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!" Yang asked angrily, Ren ran over to a ditsy Nora, Blake and Ruby looked up "Uh… Yang?" Ruby said tugging on Yang's sleeve pointing upward at Weiss, who was hanging on to a talon the size of her entire body that belonged to a gigantic Nevermore.

"How could you leave me!?" Weiss yelled down at Ruby who yelled back "I told you to jump!" Blake spoke up "She's gonna fall." But Ruby tried to reassure her "She'll be fine." But Ren spoke up "She's falling." Meanwhile Jaune was pulling himself out of the tree and looked up in time to see Weiss falling, he jumped out and caught her "Just… Dropping in?" Jaune asked trying to be suave but quickly came back to reality when he remembered that gravity was a thing. Falling, Jaune hit the ground first with Weiss landing on his back "My hero…" She said mockingly, walking off toward the crowd of people, Jaune was still laying on the ground, defeated.

The silence was quickly broken by Blake who realized that the Nevermore was circling around and Pyrrha was still being chased by a Death Stalker "So uh, that bird is coming back and Pyrrha is still being chased by that Death Stalker so we should do something." Blake said as Carmine readied his rifle, Celadon doing the same behind him; the two taking point and working on a strategy. "So do you want to grab Pyrrha while I set off a detonation under the Death Stalker?" Carmine asked pointing toward Pyrrha, Celadon nodded pulling out his Saiga 12, cocking it. "Pyrrha, on the count of three jump out of the way and Celadon with catch you!" Yang yelled, now standing next to Carmine.

Carmine and Celadon ran toward Pyrrha as Yang yelled "Three!" Pyrrha jumped to the left as Celadon caught her and pulled her away, Carmine charged a Supernova charge and threw it into the Deathstalker, the charge detonated on impact. The smoke cleared, showing the Death Stalker getting back up causing Carmine to groan in disbelief "Oh COME ON!" He yelled charging another one, letting it charge even longer "Eat this one, Bitch!"

He threw his charged fist into the Death Stalker's face, the explosion vaporized the ground beneath it and launched it backward. Carmine stood confidently, impressed by his work "That thing better not get back up." He said, turning around to walk back to the group but was cut off by the Deathstalker getting back up "Oh fuckberries!" Carmine exclaimed as he took off running toward the group "Alright guys, grab a piece and run. Now!" He yelled, causing everyone to grab a chess piece and take off toward some ruins, Carmine took point and started directing the people where to go. "Celadon, take the top of the tower with your DMR. Nora and I will provide covering fire, everyone else do what you can." Just as everyone got in position, the Nevermore flew through and destroyed a bridge, sending Blake flying but she hooked her blade into the Nevermore which prevented her from falling to her death.

Carmine fueled a Supernova charge, feeling it fill with power; after a minute, he threw his fist into the Death Stalker, the explosion caused it's stinger to come loose, Jaune told Pyrrha to throw her shield at the stinger, to which she obliged by throwing it at the stinger, cutting it off. He yelled to Nora who used her hammer to drive the stinger into its head, killing it. With that dead they focused on the Nevermore, Celadon fired a few rounds at the bird, hitting it in the wing and chest but it was unfazed by the shots. The Nevermore swooped down to try and grab Blake but its talon was frozen in time by Weiss, Blake fired the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud over to Yang, and the two tightened the black chain ribbon between the columns so Ruby could jump on the center with Crescent Rose and bend it back into Weiss' black sigil, right next to the caster. "Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss said but Ruby just smirked at her "Think you can make the shot?" Weiss just chuckled "Hmm! Can I!" Ruby launched off of the glyph and shot towards the Nevermore hooking her scythe around its neck, Weiss formed glyphs on the cliff going upward, Ruby landed and proceeded to run up the cliff face pulling the Nevermore with her, decapitating it when she reached the top. Standing in the edge, her cape blowing in the wind with rose petals flying in the wind.

"Well, that was a thing." Yang said with her hands on her hips, Carmine reloaded his rifle "It certainly was, though I'm surprised my semblance didn't vaporize that death stalker, I guess I have to charge it longer." He said purging his mask with a loud hiss and large cloud of steam, everyone looked at him, Ren spoke up "So that's why you wear the mask." Carmine just nodded "Yep, a side effect of my semblance is extremely hot steam." Ruby rejoined the group as they were talking, Celadon looked over to Carmine "Man, you got loaded up for war but only needed your rifle." Celadon said laughing to which Carmine just replied "Hey, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." Everyone just nodded in agreement. Carmine clapped his hands together "Alright, how about we head back to Beacon. Celadon, you grabbed a piece right?" Carmine asked, Celadon tossed him a white king which he placed in a pocket of his IBA.

Ozpin spoke while on stage "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark." The screen of the auditorium showed each of their profiles as the boys were lined up for the applauding audience to see as Ozpin continued "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!" The audience gave one more wave of ovation, while four students walked up to the stage to take their places in front of the headmaster as their faces fill the screen. Ozpin spoke again "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR." Amid the clapping, Nora laughed and gave Ren a hug. "Led by... Jaune Arc!" Jaune was speechless "Huh? L-Led by...?" Ozpin just smiled at Jaune "Congratulations, young man." A grinning Pyrrha offered a friendly shoulder bump to Jaune, but her "fine leader" was knocked over and fell to his ass in front of the laughing audience. Carmine just shook his head and placed his hand over his face, laughing a bit. Ozpin spoke again "Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long." He motioned over the four as they stood before him. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!" Carmine clapped as the four girls waved to the crowd. Carmine, Celadon, and two other people joined Ozpin on stage, Carmine didn't recognize the two other students who stood next to them.

"And finally: Carmine Sable, Celadon Bisque, Regalia Aureolin, and Laurel Vermilion, the four of you collected the white and black king pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRCL (ChaRCoaL). Led by… Carmine Sable!" Carmine looked at his new teammates, Regalia was about 5'8, she had purple hair that went a little bit past her shoulders, she wore a purple skirt with black leggings, a black jacket with a white shirt underneath it, and a pair of black high top sneakers. She also had a yellow ribbon in her purple hair. Laurel was a rather tall guy around 6 foot, he wore a black IBA like Carmine's (except Carmine's has armpads) with a black T-Shirt underneath, he wore Black jeans with gray armor pads running up the legs, and a black patrol hat. Carmine and Celadon bumped fists in celebration and shook hands with Regalia and Laurel introducing themselves to each other. Yang and Blake looked at each other in confusion "I don't think I ever saw them on the first day." Yang said with suspicion in her voice "To be fair, you didn't meet me until the night at the ballroom but I get what you're saying, I don't think I saw them at the cliffs either." Blake said also suspicious of Carmine's new team.

Ozpin looked around at the new teams and the crowd, he chuckled and spoke again "It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year."

 **(A/N: Thanks for reading, remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review and if you have any suggestions for future chapters, feel free to send them to me. [2018 Edit: I'm gonna rewrite this chapter when I finish up chapter 4 of RWBY: Wolf Pack.] )**


	3. Chapter 3: The Odd Squad

Chapter 3: The Odd Squad

Carmine opened his eyes from his deep sleep, the sun barely coming over the horizon. He climbed out of bed and stretched, his shoulder joints popping, the sound somewhat audible. He went into the bathroom and took his shirt off, revealing a series of scars across his back and side. He lightly touched his side, tracing the scars; remembering how he got them. Carmine turned on the water, feeling it heat up with his hand, stepping into the shower and letting it flow over his toned body and scars.

Carmine stepped out of the shower after cleaning himself up, he left the bathroom in a pair of gym shorts and a black T-Shirt walking back into the room with the rest of his team, they were still asleep so he got back into bed and pulled out his scroll, looking at his class schedule and memorizing it. Having time to spare and nothing to do, Carmine decided to go train in the courtyard. He changed his attire, donning a pair of long black gym shorts, long sleeve black shirt, and a pair of black high top sneakers, they had red and white strips going across the sides and connecting on the back. Now fully dressed, he took his scroll and a pair of headphones, leaving the dorm quietly.

Carmine entered the courtyard, finding a secluded spot to train. He connected his scroll to the headphones, putting them into his ears and pressing shuffle. Heavy metal began to play, fueling his anger that he channeled into training. Carmine started warming up by bouncing in place, quickly changing feet from left to right back to left adding some jabs into the mix followed by a few uppercuts. Having warmed up completely, Carmine started working on his combat patterns, delivering two forward jabs, a left and right hook, upper cut, and a roundhouse to his invisible target. The song changed again, this time to a song that Carmine liked a lot, The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy. Listening to the words only pumped Carmine more, his eyes seemed to glow a brighter shade of red as he kept his combos going, adding more kicks and right/left crosses into the mix. As the song was close to over, Carmine got caught up in the anger and dished out a heavy downward jab into the concrete, he unknowingly charged a supernova in his fist and when his fist connected with the ground, obliterated the ground beneath him.

The hole was about two feet deep, three feet in diameter. Carmine looked at shook his hand, that was now somewhat bloody from the concrete, he looked around and decided it would be best to book it, taking off sprinting back to his dorm. As he neared the room, he slowed to a walk and calmly walked in to see his team now awake, Celadon looked at him curiously "Was that you?" Celadon asked curiously to which Carmine just looked away, hiding his bleeding hand but Laurel was quick to notice and snuck up on Carmine and grabbed his arm, pulling it up for the dorm to see "Yep, look what we got here." Laurel said laughing "I take it you got caught up in the moment." Laurel said, patting Carmine on the back, Celadon cut in "Hey, it happens to the best of us." They all shared a laugh as Carmine went to grab another shower, this time getting ready for class.

Their first class was Professor Port at 9 am, it was 8:30 so Carmine and the rest of Team CRCL headed to class, making it there with no problem and finding seats in the top row. Carmine fidgeted in his seat, Celadon spoke up "Hey man, you good?" Carmine answered him "Yea, I'm just not use to wearing a monkey suit like this." Regalia spoke up "I think they gave you a wrong size, it looks tight around the shoulders and sides." Carmine replied "Well good thing I always carry a spare shirt with me." With that, Carmine carefully tore off the blazer and dress shirt, his team noticed the scars on his back but Carmine didn't realize they were looking, he slipped on the black V-Neck and put his dog tags back on. As more students came in, Carmine propped his feet up on the table, leaning back in his chair but was brought back to attention as Teams RWBY and JNPR came bursting through the door in the brink of time as the clock struck 9 am.

Professor Port began "Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" Carmine couldn't help but groan at the horrible attempt at a joke "Oh this is gonna be a painful hour and a half." Carmine whispered to Celadon who snickered at Carmines remark. Port continued "Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." Port gave Yang a wink, which she groaned uncomfortably at "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" Regalia commented quietly on what she just saw "Jeez, what a creep." The others nodded in agreement, just then some student stood up and raised his fist "Ayyyy-yep!" He said but the rest of the class just stared at him, and Carmine was sure a little part of him died inside 'Wow, talk about awkward.' Carmine thought to himself, slamming his head into the desk, making a loud thud sound as he dozed off.

Carmine came to when he heard Port talking about leadership "So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Carmine raised his hand at the same time as Weiss "Oh two students! This better than I expected, well Miss Schnee you can go first, you and Mr. Sable go get ready." With that, Carmine took off to get ready, Laurel commented on how quick he was "Man, he must be itching to fight something." He said pointing at the crate in the middle of the room. As quick as he left, he returned outfitted in his gear but he didn't have his weapons, Port noticed this "No weapons ?" Carmine shook his head "No sir!" He said with enthusiasm in his voice, taking his seat with his squad. Weiss returned in her usual attire, rapier in hand.

Weiss was up first, taking her fighting stance, her team cheering behind her "Goooo Weiss!" Yang cheered, Blake waved a small flag that said RWBY on it "Where'd she get that from?" Laurel asked laughing, "Fight Well" Blake said more cheerfully than usual, Ruby cheered really enthusiastically "Yeah, represent teeeeam RWBY!" but lowered her sword and retorted at her "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" Weiss said annoyed, Regalia noticed this "What the fuck, why does she speak to her with so much venom on her tongue, even though the rest of her team were cheering her on too." She said a little frustrated, Carmine looked at her "And that's why I call her Queen Bitch." He said monotoned, Regalia replied "She sure has earned that title." Celadon laughed, everyone returned their attention to the fight just as Port spoke "Let the match... begin!" The professor swung his axe down and broke the lock, dropping the cage door and revealing a Boarbatusk inside, which immediately charged at Weiss. She used her sword to deflect its attack and roll to the side, readying herself for its next move. The Grimm stood a distance away from its enemy, studying her. Port laughed "Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Team CRCL watched as she made her attempt at fighting, Carmine watched as she charged toward the boar Grimm, stabbing at its skull Carmine shouted out "Now you fucked up!" before Weiss could turn to face Carmine, the Boarbatusk ripped the rapier from her hand sending it flying across the room.

"Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port said laughing, the Boarbatusk charged but Weiss rolled out of the way and grabbed her rapier, readying it. Ruby yelled out "Weiss, go for its belly!" but Weiss yelled back at her "Stop telling me what to do!" Ruby looked hurt by what Weiss said, just then the Boarbatusk leaped into the air and rolled into a ball, spinning rapidly in the air and landing on the ground, consistently gaining speed until it launched itself at Weiss. It came closer and closer, but Weiss activated one of her blue-white circles and blocked the roll, leaping up into the now-black snowflake symbol and turning it blue again so she can drive the blade into the Boarbatusk's stomach. It squealed and fell silent while Weiss gasped in relief.

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" as Weiss stood up at attention from her exhausted position, Ruby continued to frown. "Mr. Sable, You're next!" Port shouted to Carmine who was at the top but ran to the bottom via the desks, careful not to step on anyone, as he reached the bottom he front flipped off and landed perfectly. "So teach, what's the biggest Grimm you got?" Carmine asked cracking his knuckles "Hmm, I got a large Beowolf." Carmine looked up at him with a straight face "How many do you have?" Everyone looked at him in disbelief "Titan, are you serious!?" Jaune yelled, Carmine looked at the blonde knight "Deathly." Carmine said mono-toned, Port replied "I have two, do you want both?" Port asked, somewhat bewildered, Carmine looked almost excited "Hell yes!" He said readying himself as two cages came out of the ground, Port cut the lock off the first one, the cage door being blown open by the Beowolf storming out.

The Beowolf charged at Carmine who delivered a swift kick to the Grimm's jaw, sending it flying upward into the air. Carmine grabbed it as it fell back down, snapping its neck and dropping the lifeless corpse on to the ground, the corpse started to smoke. Carmine looked up at Port "Next." Carmine said nonchalantly, causing everyone to gasp, Port swung his axe down on the lock, breaking it, allowing the Grimm inside to run out, again charging Carmine who this time charged at the Beowolf, tackling it to the ground and pinning it. It bit at the air trying to get Carmine but he kept his distance. Carmine picked the Grimm up by the throat with one hand and reached it into his side pouch, pulling out a red M67 Dust Frag Grenade. He used the Grimm's claw to pull the pin on the grenade which he shoved down its throat, holding its snout closed. The grenade detonated, leaving only a blood splatter and a Beowolf head which he tossed to Port "Get back to when you get tougher Grimm." Carmine said again nonchalantly walking back to his Team who were speechless, Celadon's mouth was wide open in disbelief "Close your mouth Celadon, you look silly." Carmine said chuckling, propping his feet up again.

Port stood there wide eyed, still holding the now smoking Beowolf head "Uhhh, that's all the time we have today, uhh. Dismissed." Port said, still taking in what happened Weiss glared at Ruby and turned away, walking hurriedly to the exit past her teammates. "What the fuck is her problem?" Regalia said standing up, Team CRCL ran out of the room following RWBY and JNPR. They got out in time to catch Ruby talking to Weiss "What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?" Ruby was cut off by Weiss "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!" Weiss said frustrated, but Ruby scoffed at her statement "What did I do" but that seemed to anger her more "That's just it - you've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

Weiss's statements were starting to piss Regalia off, as she started to walk over to Weiss but was stopped by Carmine who told her to wait. Ruby looked hurt even more "Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team." She said with sadness in her voice but Weiss didn't care "Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better." She said with venom "Ozpin made a mistake." That was it, Regalia and Carmine walked over to Weiss "Oh, and what do you w-" She was cut off by Regalia who back handed her across the face, Carmine spoke up standing next to Regalia "That was from me, I don't hit girls but I might have made an exception for you. How dare you talk to her that way, she has been nothing but kind to you and yet you still walk over her like she's dirt. You wanna know how we all got here? Our skill, she single handily squared off with Roman Torchwick and His goons. I was a Mercenary and have taken on hordes of Grimm by myself. I don't know about the rest of you but we're here because we posess the skill to fight and to lead. I suggest you take some time to reevaluate where your standing."

Weiss looked terrified "Right, yea I- I'll do that." She said rubbing her cheek from where Regalia slapped her, as she walked away Carmine turned around to see everyone staring at him, Jaune broke the silence "You were a Mercenary!?" He asked, Carmine nodded which Jaune replied "That explains a lot more, the outfit, the weapons, the brutality that was that fight." Carmine chuckled rubbing the back of his head "Yea, honestly I was just showing off. Is nobody gonna talk about what just happened?" Carmine asked confused but his confusion was answered by Yang "Hey, someone had to put her in line. Regalia, nice job with the back hand." She said, causing Regalia to giggle "He told me to, I was just following orders." Regalia said pointing at Carmine with her thumb. Ozpin coughed to get their attention "Well, that was something. Carmine, good job on handling the situation." Ozpin's praise was interrupted by Ruby "Was she right? Did you make a mistake?" This caused Ozpin to laugh " That has yet to be seen." He said taking a sip from his mug, now I think you all should get to class, Carmine don't forget to change back into your uniform and T-Shirt. Before Carmine could say anything, Ozpin was gone "How did he know?" Laurel asked scratching his head.

They all went to class and finished their first day, the next day started out the same, minus Carmine blowing a hole in the courtyard. Team CRCL sat in the bleachers with Team RWBY and JNPR, Jaune was currently fighting Cardin Winchester, a large man with a mace. "Man, that Cardin guy looks all brawn and no brains. Me tough guy, me get what me want." Carmine said, making fun of Cardin, causing the three teams to laugh, including Weiss. Regalia nudged Carmine "Looks like what you said worked, I think she might see Ruby as a leader now, and all it took was the fear of God and death to drive that point home." She said, causing Carmine to chuckle "I might have gone overboard a little." He said laughing nervously, just then their attention was brought to the fight, more importantly Glynda yelling at Cardin "That's enough, Mr. Winchester. Stand down!" She addressed the crowd "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match. Mr. Arc, Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?" Cardin scoffed at this "Speak for yourself." Cardin remarked as he walked back to his team, but unfortunately for him, Carmine heard him.

"What was that, caveman Cardin?" Carmine stood up staring the man down, he continued "You think you're so badass and tough, then why don't you fight me? I'll take you on with no weapons." Glynda spoke up "Mr. Sable are you challenging Mr. Winchester?" Carmine replied sarcastically "Nah, I'm asking him to Tea. Of course I'm challenging him, anything to wipe that smug grin off his bitch face." Glynda spoke again "Very well, Cardin do accept?" she asked to which Cardin replied "Gladly."

Walking back down to the floor, Cardin took his place on one side, Carmine walked out in his uniform and took his place, raising his fists. The buzzer sounded and Cardin charged at Carmine who side stepped and tripped him, causing the audience to burst out laughing "What's wrong, bitch boy? Can't fight someone who is better than you?" Carmine said, belittling the brute who stood up yelling with anger, he charged Carmine who this time clocked him in the nose, breaking it, the crack echoing throughout the arena, the audience cringed in pain. Carmine walked around with his arms out "Are you not entertained!?" He yelled out to the audience, which caused them to cheer loudly. Having had his ego thoroughly stroked, he held his thumb sideways, the crowd followed suit "Well, what will it be?" he asked loudly, the crowd turned their thumbs down. "Well, the people have spoken , prepare to have the worst ass kicking of your life unless you want to forfeit now, your choice. You have a minute to decide." Before Carmine could ready himself, Cardin swung his mace hitting Carmine in the back but Carmine didn't flinch much "Well, now this makes it fun." Carmine said, standing up straight.

Carmine delivered a straight kick into Cardin's chest, sending him backwards but Carmine was waiting behind him, having ran behind him as he was flying. He kicked Cardin in the back sending him forward only to receive a haymaker to the side, sending him into the wall, depleting his Aura which caused the buzzer to ring, ending the fight. "Aw come on, we were just starting to have some fun." Carmine said sarcastically, walking over to Cardin, he offered him his hand which he begrudgingly accepted. Carmine pulled him up with ease and pulled him close "Don't you ever try and hurt my friends. You think this hurt, I was holding back. You hurt any of my friends and you will face my wrath ten times over." Carmine said, his voice sounding dark as he let go of Cardin's hand and walked back to his squad.

He sat down and was immediately flooded with praise and idolization from the other teams, "Man, you did a real number on him. We all heard it when you broke his nose, that was awesome!" Nora said excitedly, Carmine took off his mask and smiled at Nora "Thanks, Nora. It was nothing, I was actually holding back." This caused the teams to gasp in disbelief, Jaune was gonna say something but was cut off by Miss Goodwitch "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale! Dismissed."

With that, they all headed to lunch, Carmine now changed back into his uniform pants and T Shirt got in line for to get lunch, grabbing a burger with cheese, some fries, an apple, and a bottle of water, he sat with teams CRCL, RWBY, and JNPR, starting to eat and converse "So Weiss, I see that you now see Ruby as your leader?" Carmine asked, taking a bite from his burger "Yes, after much consideration and taking what you said to heart, I have started acting like a better teammate and I just wanted to think you for making me see this." Weiss said with gratitude.

Carmine finished chewing and replied to her "And I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you on the first day, as you have seen, I tend to go overboard sometimes so I want to apologize and I hope we can be friends." Carmine said with empathy in his voice, Weiss replied "I accept your apology and would like to be your friend as well." Ruby got excited "Yay, we're all friends again!" This caused everyone to laugh until they heard someone cry out in pain "Ow, that hurts! Please stop!" A girl with bunny ears said grimacing in pain as Cardin was pulling on them "See guys, I told you they were real" Cardin said laughing, his goons laughing along with him "Man, what a freak" one of them spoke, this made Carmines blood boil, he spoke up "Celadon, Regalia, and Laurel. Subdue his friends, I'll take care of him." With a nod, they all took off before anyone could say anything, Carmine walked over and pegged Cardin in the head with his apple, this caused him to let go of the bunny girl's ears and she walked shyly away, looking at Carmine with defeated eyes but before she could walk away, Carmine placed a hand on her shoulder "Are you ok?" He spoke to her softly, she nodded her head Carmine continued "Go to them, they'll take care of you." He said pointing to teams RWBY and JNPR, she hurriedly walked over to them and they accepted her with open arms.

Carmine returned his focus to Cardin and spoke up "Well well well, it looks like you didn't learn your lesson the first time. Man, I can't wait to whoop your ass again." Cardin scoffed "You don't scare me, get him guys!... Guys?" Cardin turned around to find the rest of his team tied up, one unconscious Regalia spoke up "Sorry Carmine, he wouldn't go down without a fight." This made Carmine laugh "Looks like it's just you and me, and I take it nobody's told you about me, have they? You see, I used to be a Mercenary, I fought people and Grimm way tougher than you. I've also taken a life and I'm not afraid to take another if it means protecting my friends." This shocked everyone but Carmine continued "So lets dance, abercrombie and bitch!" he shouted raising his fists, Cardin charged at him cocking back his right arm and throwing a punch, Carmine dodged it and delivered five jabs to his side, adding a knee to the gut which caused Cardin to lean over in pain. Carmine clapped his hands together, Cardin swung again connecting a jab to the shoulder but Carmine shook it off like it was nothing.

Carmine connected his combo that he had been working on, Right jab, left jab, uppercut, haymaker to the side and finish it off with a roundhouse to the face. Cardin went down like a sack of bricks, Carmine got down close to him "Don't ever try and pull this shit again. And yes, I was holding back again." He patted him on the head and left, collecting his team and returning to the table. Yang was the first to speak up "Well, I think we know who our resident badass is, and I think everyone will agree." Everyone nodded, filling Carmine with a form of pride. He turned his attention to the bunny girl "I never got your name, I'm Carmine." He said extending his hand to her, she shook his hand "I'm Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina." She spoke softly "Thank you for saving me, it means a lot." She said to Carmine.

"It was nothing, I just can't stand to see someone get bullied like that and nobody do anything. It makes me sick, so consider yourself under my protection and this goes for all of you." Carmine said raising his arm, everyone cheered but were interrupted by Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch, she spoke first "Does anyone wanna tell me what the hell happened here?" She asked angrily "Oh, well you see Cardin was picking on Velvet, assaulting her so I proceeded to kick his ass into next week." Carmine said chuckling but Glynda didn't laugh and was about to yell at him but she was stopped by Ozpin "That was a very noble thing you did, Mr. Sable. I commend you and your team for it. I mention your team because the rest of team CRDL seems to be tied up. So I know you didn't act alone, so Good Job, Team CRCL. Expect compensation for your good deed." Ozpin said, turning and walking off with Glynda, who used her semblance to take Team CRDL with them as they left.

'Man, this year is starting out awesome. I wish you could see it, Onyx' Carmine thought to himself, eating the rest of his lunch.

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading, I know I skipped a lot, but I didn't feel like typing it all out. Anyway, what do you think about me adding a bit of Romance into it, Yes or No. Let me know what y'all think and as always remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review. I tried to not make Carmine so Op but it's still the beginning so just watch and see how it goes. Next time on RWBY: Titan Rising, Ch. 4: Team Kickass. Sorry if this seems half assed or lazy, I was tired writing this chapter.)**


	4. Chapter 4: Team Kickass

Chapter 4: Team Kickass

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs. Enjoy!**

Carmine woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window, the sun barely coming over the horizon. He got out of bed and started his morning stretches, popping his shoulder joints and cracking his knuckles. He peered outside at the dark horizon, what little light that was showing was blocked by fog, giving off an ominous vibe. As Carmine stared at the ghostly fog, something caught his eye and made him do a double take 'Weird, I could have sworn I just saw someone standing in the fog. It was like a silhouette of a person.' He thought to himself, walking to the bathroom to start his day.

Carmine got dressed after showering, putting on a pair of baggy black jeans, black t-shirt, and slipping on his black high top sneakers, tying the laces. Next he put his dogtags on around his neck, letting them fall onto his chest, by the time he was done the rest of his team was awake and getting ready for the day. Celadon spoke up "Seeing how far you can go before Ozpin calls you out, Carmine?" Carmine looked at him and smiled "You fucking know it!" Carmine said with laughter in his voice, grabbing his scroll and slipping it into his pocket along with his wallet and headphones. With everyone dressed, they left to meet up with Team RWBY and JNPR to go to Oobleck's class.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution-more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He said pointing to a map on the wall and continued to speak. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day! Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" Many people raised their hands at Ooblecks question, including Velvet who was hesitant at first. Oobleck continued "Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?"

Weiss's hand shot up the same time as Carmine's but she was faster at getting the answer out "The battle of Fort Castle." She said knowingly, Oobleck began lecturing again after that "Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" At the same time, Cardin had made a paper football and flicked it at Jaune, who was asleep and it hit him in head, waking him up from his slumber. Carmine watched this and couldn't help but grit his teeth, clenching his fists but relaxed when Regalia put her hand on his shoulder and whispered to him "Not here, he's not worth it. Just let Jaune deal with it." Her tone was calm and reassuring, which eased Carmine's anger.

"You're right. Thank you, Regalia." Carmine said back to her, adjusting his hat. Oobleck had confronted Jaune "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?" The sudden question had left Jaune confused "Uhhhh... The answer... The advantage... that the Faunus...had over that guy's stuff…was" Jaune looked to Pyrrah for an answer and she simply cupped her eyes with her hands, Jaune continued "Was Binoculars!" Jaune said confidently, Cardin busted out laughing while Oobleck glared at the both of them "Very funny, Mr. Arc! Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!" Oobleck said, putting the light on Cardin who spoke "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." That was enough, Carmine stood up and confronted Cardin "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" This caused Cardin to get up and stand toe to toe with Carmine "What? You got a problem?" Carmine just laughed and turned around "Yea you, mother fucker. You call yourself a huntsman in training, yet you bully people, belittle an entire race, and make plans to hurt your fellow huntsmen. Oh yea, I know about your plan."

Carmine continued "So one of two things can happen here: One, you apologize to Jaune and everyone in this room for being an ignorant, racist piece of shit and a waste of space, then sit down and shut up. Or two, I smoke you right here and now, cause frankly I have had enough of your shit and I told you not to cross me again. So, what's it gonna be? Make my mother fucking day!"

Cardin was visible scared, he took an audible gulp, walking to the front of the class and facing the class " I'm sorry for being an ignorant, racist piece of shit and a waste of space. I beg your forgiveness." Cardin said, before going back to his seat. Carmine looked at him "You better take a good look at yourself and who you are, cause if you think you're gonna make it as a huntsman like you are now, then you are sadly mistaken. Change before it's too late, you can still redeem yourself." Carmine said to him in a deep, serious voice before going back to his seat but stopped before his chair "Oh, and Oobleck, the answer is night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark. That is also why scout units a made up of mostly Faunus. Two of my best snipers were Faunus, they were damn good snipers too." Carmine told Oobleck and the rest of the class before sitting down.

Oobleck was quiet for a moment, partially still processing what just happened "Uhh, right yes! You are correct Carmine, and it was because of General Lagune inexperience that he made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. Now moving on." Oobleck said, going back to his lecture, Celadon tapped Carmine on the shoulder "Uh, what the fuck was that? I'll smoke you right here? You weren't serious, were you?" Celadon asked him, kinda concerned. Carmine chuckled "No, I wasn't gonna waste him, but a key part of getting someone to stop and change is intimidation. The threat of death from someone who promises to deliver can change a person. But we'll see if my strategy worked."

Celadon exhaled a sigh of relief, Regalia spoke to Carmine "I think it's admirable of you to stand up for your friends and even an entire race like that. It took guts and I'm glad to have you as a leader." Celadon and Laurel both nodded in agreement of the last part, Carmine couldn't help but smile. The class ended and Team CRCL exited the classroom, Carmine casually walked with his team and the others to the next class which was Aura Training with Miss Goodwitch, Celadon seemed surprised at how calm Carmine was. "You don't seem nervous at all, I mean you're not in your uniform at all and we're going to class with Miss Goodwitch, who is super strict." Celadon said obviously a little nervous, Carmine chuckled "Eh, I'll be fine. Shit, Ozpin is so laid back he probably won't care."

They entered the arena style room and took their seat at the back, as usual with RWBY and JNPR sitting in front of them. Miss Goodwitch began "Good morning class, today we will be training for the Vytal …." She stopped mid sentence and stared at Carmine "Uh, Mr. Sable, why aren't you in your uniform?" Carmine just looked back at her "I wasn't feeling it today, also it's so constricting and restricting." Glynda glared at him in anger "Like I was saying, training for the Vytal festival. Up first because he wants to defy the rules, Carmine "Titan" Sable and Team RWBY. "What!" All three teams yelled out, Carmine laughed "Oh, you know what, I'll take on JNPR too!" He called out to Miss Goodwitch "Alright, Carmine vs Teams RWBY and JNPR. May this be a lesson to you about defying me." She said with confidence.

Carmine and the two teams went to the locker rooms to change, Carmine threw on his gear and prepped his weapons, putting fresh mags in the front of his Heavy IBA. He put three dust grenades in their pouch on his side and three more in a pocket on his KVA Tactical cargo pants. He pulled out his shoulder knife and clicked it into its sheath. Carmine pulled out his Scar and MP7, checking the sights then placing the Scar on his back and the MP7 on his side. Putting on his gloves, Carmine punched his fists together making the metal clang, the sound echoing throughout the locker room. He pulled out three brick looking objects and put them in his pocket, finally attaching his Gas Mask and pulling the hood over it, the light gleaming off the visor. He was ready and headed toward the exit but not before talking to the teams "Hey guys, don't be afraid to no hold back, I can take it." Carmine said in a calm manner, Yang chuckled "Oh buddy, we aren't gonna hold back and I wanna bet you." Carmine took a step back "Oh, and what are the terms to your bet." He asked questioningly, she grinned "If we win, you tell us your back story." Carmine laughed "Alright, and if I win I get your dorm room door." Everyone looked at him with questioning looks "Why, what would you want with a door?" Weiss asked, no one could tell but under the mask, Carmine had an evil grin "Oh, I don't need the door but You do." He said walking away. Their eyes grew large "That evil mother fucker." Yang said wide eyed

 **(A/N: Words in bold will be the lyrics to Ladies and Gentlemen by Saliva.)**

The two teams took their place in the arena but Carmine was no where to be found suddenly the lights went out except for two pointing toward the locker room, music started playing through the Speakers. **Ladies and gentlemen please, would you bring your attention to me? For a feast for your eyes to see, an explosion of catastrophe** Carmine started walking out **Like nothing you've ever seen before. Watch closely as I open this door, your jaws will be on the floor, After this you'll be begging for more**. He took his spot across from the two teams, cracking his knuckles. He pulled out his scroll and turned the music off, Miss Goodwitch was dumbfounded "How did you do that?!" She yelled out, Carmine looked at her "Oh, I hacked the lighting and audio system. You guys need a better firewall, my encryption got through with no problem." She glared at him, furious then looked to the two teams "Please, teach him a lesson he won't forget." She said, angry at Carmine, the two teams nodded.

Carmine clapped his hands together "So how you wanna do this, one at a time or all at…" before he could finish his sentence they charged at him "All at once it is." He said running at them, driving his boot into Rens gut, knocking the air out of him. He swiftly brought his knee to connect with his face, knocking him back "Sorry bro, nothing personal." He shouted to Ren who gave him a thumbs up while standing up but was knocked back by a swift high kick, eliminating him. "Next." Carmine yelled out but was sucker punched in the face by Nora. Carmine pulled out a brick and shouted to Jaune "Hey kid, catch." He threw it to Jaune who caught it "What is it?" Jaune asked but Carmine chuckled "C-4 Yourself." He said, pressing the detonator causing the brick to explode, sending Jaune into the wall and effectively eliminating him. Carmine threw an elbow into Nora's gut and an upper cut to her jaw, but she was still standing. He thought about using another brick but pulled out his Scar instead, popping off four rounds but only two hit there mark. Just then he narrowly dodged shots from Yang and Ruby, he jumped back and slid to a stop, standing up.

He charged a Supernova in his right hand while shooting his MP7 with his left hand, keeping them at bay. After twenty seconds, he threw the charged ball at Yang, Nora, and Ruby, it hit the ground and caused a massive explosion, shaking the building. When the dust cleared, Nora was on the ground with her Aura drained, Ruby sped out in time, and Yang grew angrier, her lilac eyes now red. Carmine holstered his weapon and charged two Supernovas, one in each hand. After thirty seconds, he ran at Yang who in turn ran at him, tackling him to the ground. She straddled him, cocking her gauntlets but Carmine laughed "Whoa, Yang! At least buy me dinner first but uh if you wanna do this we can go back to my dorm. I've been called the slayer of grimm and women." He said flirtatiously, winking at her and placed his hands on her hips. She let out a small yelp from the sudden contact but she then remembered that he charged to Supernovas. Before she could react, Carmine detonated the charges, blowing Yang across the room.

Yang was eliminated, leaving Blake, Pyrrah, Ruby, and Weiss. Pyrrah ran at him with her sword and shield, slicing at him but he was able to evade them and retaliated by sweeping her legs, causing her to fall but he grabbed her hand before she hit the ground and pulled her into a bear hug. 'He's so warm and this hug has so much emotion in it. He doesn't want to do this but has to so he can prove a point.' She thought to herself, blushing a bit "I thought you could use a hug." He said letting her go "That hug had so much emotion in it. You don't want to do this, do you?" Pyrrah said questioningly, he shook his head "Nope, I have to and I been told my hugs are, explosive." He said holding up two pins, she looked down to see two grenades attached to her armor. They exploded into a ball of fire, launching her back and eliminating her.

 **(A/N: Snuff by Slipknot)**

He pulled out his scroll and flipped through his playlist, pressing play. The music started playing and he stared at Blake, taking off his mask and looked into her eyes. **Bury all your secrets in my skin, come away with innocence, and leave me with my sins. The air around me still feels like a cage And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again.** She stared back at him **So if you love me, let me go. And run away before I know. My heart is just too dark to care, I can't destroy what isn't there. Deliver me into my fate, if I'm alone I cannot hate.** Blake felt her eyes start to water a bit as the sad song played, but Weiss was quick to figure it out "Psychological Warfare, smart and very evil." She said, figuring out what he was doing. **I don't deserve to have you, My smile was taken long ago, if I can change I hope I never know.** Carmine chuckled "Yes and also a little glimpse into my past. I've listened to this song more than anyone ever should have. So much heartbreak in my past." Blake couldn't take it and started to cry, she walked up to Carmine and hugged him, pulling him in tight which surprised him "Thank you for everything you've done." She said to him, kissing him on the cheek. "I forfeit Miss Goodwitch." Blake said, walking to the stands and sitting next to Yang.

Everyone stared wide eyed at what just happened, Carmine smirked "Works every time." He chuckled, "Alright you two, let's dance!" Carmine said putting his mask back on and turning the music off, Ruby sped toward him, slicing at him with her scythe but he jumped out of the way and pulled out his scroll again, Weiss noticed "Ruby! Watch out!" She yelled but it was too late, the lights cut off, leaving the arena in complete darkness. Carmine pulled out an FN FiveSeven that he keeps as back up and clicked on the Tac. Light, shining it around the arena "Here you go little Red." He said, handing the gun to Ruby, her eyes went wide with excitement "Wow, this is sooo cool!" She fawned over his pistol but turned it on him, Weiss laughed "You gave her a gun, what did you expect her to do?" Weiss asked, but Carmine pointed to Ruby "This." He said, as Ruby pulled the trigger.

*Click* *Click* *Click* Ruby pulled the trigger, but nothing came out. Carmine grabbed it and loaded a clip into it, cocking it. "I did that so I wouldn't feel bad about this." He said as he popped seven off in her chest, eliminating her aura causing her to collapse but he picked her up "It's alright little red, you fought well." He said carrying her over to her sister, placing her next to Yang and patted her on the head. "Alright Ice Queen, It's you and me." Carmine said turning the lights back on and readying himself, Weiss charged at him with one of her glyphs, generating more around him and used them to deliver multiple strikes, landing all of them. She landed and readied her sword again, Carmine picked himself up "Alright, you want a sword fight." He said pulling out his scar, turning it into a cutlass. They charged and clashed swords, the metal clanging as they connected with each other. Carmine drove up his knee into her stomach and pushed her backward. He caught her before she fell, his hand holding hers, she saw this and started to blush. He winked at her as he stepped back and readied his sword.

She shook it off and readied herself too, forming glyphs around him and charging toward him bouncing off the glyphs but this time Carmine blocked most of the strikes. Ruby glanced at the board to look at the aura levels, she saw that Carmine was about half way but so was Weiss, she called out to her "Weiss, his aura is at halfway, finish it!" She yelled out but Carmine heard her and flipped backward landing away from Weiss. He sighed and put his sword away "I was hoping to only use this during a serious fight but I need to prove a point." He said as he placed his fists together, charging up and starting to glow red. Ruby watched the board as Carmine's aura level started to rise, eventually getting up to eighty percent.

Everyone's jaw dropped at what just happened, Weiss spoke up "What did you just do?" She asked questioningly, Carmine just looked up "It's the nova part of my Supernova, think of it like nuclear regeneration except I don't emit it so your good." He said as he pulled out his sword again, readying it and charging toward Weiss, slicing at her and delivering a roundhouse to her side. She flew to the left a bit but maintained her balance, she spun her dust reel on her sword and struck the ground, sending a wave of ice toward Carmine. He tried to dodge but it covered him, freezing him solid. As the ice vapor cleared, Carmine could be seen frozen with his hand on his mask, suddenly a loud hissing sound came from the ice as steam started coming out of it, the ice melting around him. He broke out of the ice coffin, sending ice chunks flying around him, he stood up straight up, shaking off the remaining ice. He spoke up "Well it has been fun sparing with you Weiss but I need to wrap this shit up." He said pulling out a blue dust grenade, he pulled the pin and tossed it to Weiss shouting "Catch!" She caught it and immediately dropped it realizing what it was. The grenade hit the ground and went off, surrounding Weiss in ice up to her neck, Carmine chuckled "Yea, it's an impact grenade." The buzzer sounded, announcing all opponents had been defeated, Carmine turned his sword back into its Scar variant and holstered it on his back.

 **(A/N: No Glory Ft. M.I.M.E. by Skan and Krale)**

The crowd cheered as he turned and pressed play on a song on his scroll **Found a little bit a light, tryna find my heart Funny when I'm bright, gotta lifestyle dark.** He walked toward the two teams he had fought, Blake was smiling at him which noticed and winked at her, causing her to blush **Oh who am I, M.I.M.E I'm not the one you wanna fuck wit Late nights messin' up my sleep so I'm flustered Taking out aggression wit my pen because I trust it** He took his mask off and attached it to his waist, sitting down next to Blake and put his arm around her, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Everyone stared wide eyed until Ruby spoke up "So uh, are you two dating now or something?" Carmine chuckled "No, little red. I'm comforting her because I basically mind fucked her, psychological warfare. I made her feel my emotions through that song by staring into her eyes. It's a dirty trick that I don't like using." He said **No glory, I M.I.M.E I'm not the one you wanna fuck wit, Late nights messin' up my sleep so I'm flustered. Taking out aggression wit my pen because I trust it, Writing tryna get myself a lam color custard.** As the crowd died down, Carmine turned the music off to let Miss Goodwitch speak "Well Carmine, you proved yourself worthy. From this day forward, you no longer have to wear a uniform." She said defeated, but spoke up again "If anyone can beat Carmine, then they won't have to wear a uniform either." There was a large sigh of defeat from the crowd, Carmine just laughed. He got up to go change but Blake wouldn't let go, Yang held her "Go change, lady killer." She said laughing, Carmine went to the locker room to change, he removed his weapons and put them back into the locker along with the rest of his gear.

Carmine left the locker room in his new "uniform", his hat cocked back a bit. He took his seat next to his "companion" who wrapped her arm around him. "Man, I mind fucked her bad. It'll probably be a couple hours before it wears off. When it does, she'll remember everything that happened but she might have a headache." He said giving them warning, he spoke again "So, Lunch?" He asked everyone nodded and they left for the cafeteria, Blake holding on to Carmine as they entered and found a large table to sit at. They got their food and sat together talking and eating, Velvet showed up at the table "Hey guys, Carmine awesome fight! Some streamed it on Beacon Live! A lot of people saw it, your team is being called Team Kickass." She said, showing them the fight on her scroll, she spoke again "Oh, and this is my best friend, Coco Adel." Coco spoke "Hey guys, and hello tall, dark, and handsome." She said looking at Carmine, tipping her sunglasses down a bit. Carmine winked at her, causing her to smile and blush as she took a seat next to Velvet.

Their conversation was interrupted by Ozpin who wanted to address Carmine. "Mr. Sable, congrats on your new uniform. In all honesty, this suits you a whole lot more and to the rest of you. Good Job, you showed great courage and determination when you were fighting. I hope to see that type of fighting during The Vytal Festival, especially from you Carmine "Titan" Sable" He said, addressing Carmine with a chuckle.

Ozpin was about to leave but stopped "Oh, and good job using your surroundings but know you won't be able to do this during the Vytal Festival." Carmine nodded his head as Ozpin left. 'Well, aren't you in for a surprise then.' He thought to himself, looking at his scroll that had the image of a skull with red x's over its eyes. He put his scroll away and ate his lunch, Blake still resting her head on his shoulder. Weiss spoke up "So, what emotions did you make her feel when you did your mind game thing?" Carmine looked down for a bit then spoke up "I let her feel my pain, I didn't force it on to her. She could have closed her eyes and broke the link but she dived into the emotions. Pain, heartache, feeling like a burden to others, years of being alone because you're afraid to get too close to someone in fear of them dying because of your past. Hence the song choice, she felt it all and this is the result. She's trying to show me that she'll always be here for me, no matter what. She's trying to show me that I can be loved and not feared." He said, his voice low and solemn.

Ruby spoke up "Carmine, that's so sad. We're all her for you so you don't have to fear losing anyone else. We all love you, maybe not as much as Blake does right now but we do, you have protected us because we're your friends and not because of a contract. We appreciate everything you've done." Everyone nodded in agreement, Carmine started to tear up "Man, I need to go fight an Ursa bare handed to counteract these emotions with manliness." Everyone laughed as they continued their conversations, Carmine hugged Blake and let go of her, this time she didn't try to latch on to his arm. "You all better now?" Carmine asked her, she nodded "Yea, thanks for opening up like that. Hey, if you're not doing anything this weekend, would you want to go into Vale with me?" She asked Carmine, which caught him off guard "Wha- Yea, uh I mean, er. Yea totally. I'd love to." He said to her, she giggled at his stammering "It's a date." She said, pecking him on the cheek. Carmine went wide eyed 'What did I do to her!?' He thought to himself, internally screaming.

After lunch, Carmine strolled through the courtyard by himself, admiring the scenery until he heard someone behind him. He pulled out his FiveSeven that he had hidden in his waistband and pointed it at the sound, but was surprised when it was Coco who was on the other end of the barrel "Easy there, killer." She said with her hands up, Carmine lowered his pistol and put the safety back on, tucking it back into his waistband holster. He admired her features, her long brown hair, a lock of her hair dyed caramel, her curvaceous figure, which her uniform didn't hide at all. She noticed Carmine looking and decided to tease him a bit "You like something you see, big boy?" She sashayed over to him, running her finger under his chin. She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him against the wall "Well, if you want some of this then you're gonna have to work for it." She spoke seductively to him, she got close to his ear and whispered "I'm worth it and I'll rock your world." She kissed him on the cheek and strutted off, making sure to put more pop in her steps.

Carmine stood there speechless, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. "Wow, I have two girls who have fallen for me. Damn I'm good." He said to himself, mentally high-fiving his ego. Carmine left for his dorm, he needed to rest after that nova stunt he pulled earlier. He entered his dorm and threw his hat on the desk before he collapsed into his bed, passing out immediately.

 **(A/N: Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought in the reviews. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review. See you next time on RWBY: Titan Rising Chapter 5: Titan's Big Day Out. Sorry if this seems half assed or lazy, I was tired when I was finishing it up.)**


	5. Chapter 5: Titan's Big Day Out

Chapter 5: Titan's Big Day Out

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs. Enjoy!**

Carmine woke from his slumber, still dressed in his new uniform. He had gone to sleep after his fight against two teams, when he used the Nova to bring his aura back up to stay in the fight. Carmine got out of bed and went to look out the window, the sun was beginning to go down "Wow, how long did I sleep for?" He asked himself outloud "You were out for quite a bit, bro. That shit you pulled in the arena must have done you in." a voice replied to his thought. Carmine turned around to see Laurel sitting in his bed reading something in his bed. "Oh Laurel, I didn't see you there." Carmine said to his teammate with a chuckle.

"Oh, you're finally up. We thought you might have died." Regalia said walking out of the bathroom, drying her hair off. "If he was dead, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have heard him breathing." Laurel said to Regalia, throwing a hand in the air sarcastically. Carmine laughed at his teammates bickering, until Laurel spoke to him "Hey Carmine, who's Onyx? You kept saying that name in your sleep." Laurel said curiously, Carmine lowered his head then spoke "He's was my older brother, we were mercenaries together. He died during one of our missions, I did one last mission after his death before I quit to join Beacon. He actually went here to but left to become a mercenary, I joined him two years later and we recruited four others into our team to form The Wolf Pack."

Laurel and Regalia were speechless until Laurel broke the silence "The Wolf Pack, wait you're that Titan, Titan of Wolf Pack!? Bro, you guys were so famous but rumor has it The White Fang wiped the group out, is that right?" Laurel asked with stars in his eyes. "Well, that is partially correct but that is not what wiped us out. Let me tell you what really happened." Carmine sat down on his bed as Celadon entered the dorm "Hey, sleeping beauty is up. What's up?" Celadon asked happily, Laurel stared at him "Carmine is "The Titan of Wolf Pack" and he's about to tell us what actually happened on the day they got wiped out!" Laurel said almost yelling, Celadon immediately grabbed a chair to sit in. Carmine looked around the room "Alright, let's go back to that day. Just know it is gonna get gruesome, vivid detail." Everyone nodded for him to continue "Alright." Carmine said beginning to recount that day

******* Flashback *******

Carmine sat in an armory like room, he was surrounded by five other people, one of them being Onyx to his left, and the others were Nightshade, Crimson, Grullo, and Keppel. The four other mercenaries attire closely resembled Carmine and Onyx's, with the only difference being the name tags and Carmine's gas mask. Onyx stood up to address the group "Alright ladies, today we're gonna take the fight to the White Fang! We got intel saying that a few of their top brass are set up in a camp fifteen miles west, so what we're gonna do is take them by surprise!" Nightshade stood up in protest "That is fucking suicide, how do we know the Intel isn't fake! I say we do recon to gather our own Intel, so we know for fucking sure before we go and kick down their door." He yelled, Keppel stood up "I have to agree with Nightshade, sir. This seems like a set-up, unless we have a tank or APC you haven't told us about."

Carmine stood up and slammed his fist on the table "Onyx, this does sound like suicide. I suggest we take an airship over and do air recon before commencing an assault. We'll need heavy armament in case we take fire but that should't be a problem." Carmine said suggesting an alternate plan, Onyx stood for a moment thinking it over "Alright, we'll go with Carmine's plan. Everyone gear up, ship leaves at twenty two hundred hours. Dismissed" Onyx said, addressing his team, everyone got up and went to gear up. Onyx called Carmine back, he walked up to his older brother.

"Hey Carmine, good job with the alternate course of action but why did you say we'll need heavy armament?" Onyx asked curiously, Carmine answered him "I saw a report saying Atlas weaponry was stolen, along with a dozen MK32 Dust Grenade Launchers, those would be devastating to a small team like ours. I suggest six SMAWs, four M240Bs, and twenty pounds of C4." "Good lord, Carmine! That is a lot of C4. Who are we fighting, Atlas?! But I like your thinking." Onyx laughed and left to fill the order. Carmine left the building, walking out into the city of Vale. He looked out at the horizon, where the Beacon Academy sat with its tall spires barely touching the clouds. Carmine walked to a small shop by the air docks, he entered the shop and greeted the clerk "Hey Mindaro, how's it going? Family treating you well?" Carmine asked, shaking the clerk's hand.

"Carmine Sable, The Titan of Wolf Pack. To what do I owe the honor?" Mindaro asked, greeting his friend. "I need a pistol, covert but packs a punch." Carmine said, describing a gun. Mindaro reached into the counter "I think I have what you're looking for. May I present to you, the FN FiveSeven pistol with Suppressor and tactical light. This baby runs 5.7mm and the bullets are armor piercing standard, put a silencer on it and go to work." Mindaro said, presenting the firearm. Carmine was amazed "I love it, how much?" Carmine asked pulling out his wallet but Mindaro held his hand up "For you, nothing at all. It's the least I can do for you after everything your squad has done for us." Mindaro said, putting the firearm and attachments into a box, along with spare clips and six boxes of ammo. Carmine took the box and thanked his weapons merchant friend, exiting the shop he went back to the Wolf Pack HQ to arm up.

Five hours later and the airship was filled with its supplies, the team boarded with their weapon's of choice: Nightshade with his MPX, Crimson with his SVD DMR with ACOG Sight and foregrip, Grullo had his M416 with ACOG, Foregrip, Suppressor, and green laser sight, Keppel had an M98B with a Hunter 6x-12x optional zoom scope, bi-pod, and a muzzle break. Oxyx had an AK74 with Dual mag, Foregrip, and an ACOG Sight, and finally there was Carmine with his Scar-H. They boarded the airship and departed for the camp to do recon for an assault.

They sat across from each other in complete silence, some saying a prayer or two which was understandable in their line of work, for any day could be their last. The pilot came across the intercom "ETA Three minutes." Onyx spoke "Alright boys this is it, we need to take in as much as we can and be ready for whatever they throw at us." The squad cheered, loading their weapons and checking their gear but their cheering was short lived, the pilot came over the intercom again "Sam launch! Sam Launch! Brace for impact!"

The airship shot out countermeasures, attracting some of the missiles and bringing them away from the airship but one was still hot and it hit the right wing, taking out the right engine and sending the ship downward "This is ECHO 2 I have been hit, I repeat I have been hit. We're going down!" The pilot yelled into the comms, the team grabbed the straps above them as the ship impacted with the ground, ripping the other wing off and sending the ship skidding across the ground, taking trees with it. The airship came to a stop as it impacted into a boulder, smashing the cockpit into the fuselage.

After the dust settled Onyx, Carmine, and the others pulled themselves out of the wreck. Onyx addressed the team "Everyone grab a SMAW, a LMG, and four blocks of C4. We've got work to do, since air recon is out of the question. Grullo, set a little gift for our White Fang friends." Grullo nodded grabbing C4 and trip line. He went into the treeline and let C4 Tripwire traps, leading to the ship which he rigged to detonate once someone entered it. With all that out of the way, they pushed toward the camp, taking out the occasional Grimm with their knives as to not raise alert of their position.

They closed in on the camp, Nightshade and Grullo set up the LMGs on the ridge in a vantage point to take out the White Fang. This time Carmine spoke up "Alright everyone, equip your SMAWs and pick your targets. Anything that looks important, Keppel find that SAM site. Crimson, take the C4 and set it up to cover our retreat." Both mercs nodded and did their assigned tasks, Keppel spoke "Boss, found our little party starter." He said pointing toward an Atlas Anti-Air Defense System, there were three more like it scattered around the camp. Carmine thought for a moment "The brass are here because that is a lot of Anti-Air batteries for a medium sized camp. Consider all contacts hostile from this point forward." Carmine said, pulling back the slide on his rifle, loading a bullet into the chamber.

Onyx spoke up "Someone radio Atlas military and tell them our location and to send in reinforcements." Nightshade nodded and pulled out a SAT Scroll that linked straight to Atlas HQ, meanwhile Carmine talked with the group "I'm gonna sneak into the camp and set charges on the SAM sites, when I return I'll detonate them and we waste the foot soldiers." He said equipping a suppressor to a FiveSeven pistol, loading a fresh magazine. Onyx grabbed Carmine by the shoulder and stopped him in his tracks "Be on the lookout for two people: Roman Torchwick and Neo, Roman wears a black hat and Neo is Pink and Brown. Bring them down so Nava's death won't be in vain." Onyx said as he hugged his brother.

Keppel spoke up "I'll cover you from here, good thing I brought my suppressor." He said attaching the suppressor to the sniper barrel. Carmine nodded and departed for the camp, pistol in hand creeping through the shadows. He pushed himself against a wall and peaked around the corner, seeing a small foot patrol and a few guards scattered through out.

Carmine snuck through as he heard a light clap and a body fall, he turned to see a guard had been shot. He gave a thumbs up to Keppel and moved on, he approached the first site which only had two guards. Carmine snuck up behind one and used his KA-Bar to slit the guard's throat, dropping him and shooting the other in the head. With those two dispatched, he placed a charge under the SAM, clicking it to armed. He dragged the bodies into the woods and hid them in a bush, moving on to the next target.

As he moved he heard talking but it wasn't guard chatter. "You tell her, if she wants it done like that then she can do it herself. I've robbed a lot of dust shops for this cause and this is the thanks I get." The voice yelled, Carmine peaked through the gap to see a man dressed in white with a black bowler hat and a cane. He had someone with him, her hair was half pink half brown and so were her eyes 'That must be Neo and that makes him Roman Torchwick. I guess I should take him out, but first the SAMs." Carmine thought to himself, moving on to the other SAMs.

Carmine approached site number two and prepared to take out the guards. He attached a suppressor to his Scar and switched it to single fire, pushing into the site. He crept up to the guard and put a hand over his mouth, thrusting his knife into his chest and ending his life. He dropped the corpse and shot the other guard, spraying blood on the wall and floor 'Man, .308 exit wounds are massive.' He thought to himself as he primed another charge, 'two down, two to go.' He thought to himself as he exited the site, cutting right to get to site number three.

He passed the barracks and noticed sleeping white fang, he pulled out his knife and went to work, stabbing their chests and slitting throats. Fifteen foot soldiers later, he exited the barracks somewhat covered in blood, he sheathed his knife. His comm feed clicked and a voice came through "What the fuck did you just do!?" Keppel hush yelled at Carmine who just replied "Relax, if the alarm gets raised there will be less to deal with." Keppel just sighed "Remind me not to get on your bad side." Carmine chuckled as he neared site three, this time he dispatched both guards with headshots from his pistol and set the charge.

He radioed in "Alright boys, one more charge and we blow this bitch." He whispered into the comms as he made his way to the fourth SAM site, as he neared it he heard chatter "They just found a downed airship out east, it had Atlas markings on it so they're sending out a patrol." The guards spoke as Carmine snuck in and grabbed one of the guards and pointing his pistol at the other "Where are the patrols now?" He asked with haste, shooting the other guard in the head "Where?" He demanded, pointing the gun at the guard he held in a choke-hold with his arm. The guard struggled "South." Carmine smiled "Good boy." Snapping his neck. "Look alive boys, they know were here, be on guard. Setting last charge now." Carmine radioed in to the squad, getting a "Roger" back.

Carmine started to exit but was stopped when someone spoke behind him, "Not so fast. Look what we have here, someone who snuck in and killed a lot of my soldiers. I'll be happy to waste you." Carmine turned to see Roman with his cane pointed at him "Woah woah woah, let's act rational now. You C-4 I am no man, I am The Titan!" He said, clicking the detonator.

Four huge explosions rocked the base, distracting Roman and allowing Carmine to deliver a mean roundhouse to the face and a forward kick to the ribs, knocking him back. He drew his pistol and pointed it at Roman and was about to pull the trigger when he got side swiped by Neo who strutted forward "Oh, you are just so adorable. It's a shame I'll have to kill you, you understand right?" Carmine asked her, she smiled and shook her head yes. Carmine fired off three rounds and she exploded into shards of glass, "Huh that was easy. Your turn Rom…." He said but stopped when he saw that Roman was gone.

"Well, fuck." Carmine said, holstering his pistol, he turned to go back to the hill as the sirens started ringing announcing the foot soldiers to prep for combat. Carmine started to sprint as he heard soldiers behind him, they started shooting at him, bullets flying past him. He reached the hill and returned fire, taking out two of them.

"Alright pick your targets and fire." Onyx ordered, they stood up and fired their rockets, most of them hitting tents and foot soldiers. Carmine aimed for the biggest tent and fired, the rocket hitting its target and exploding, the fire ripping apart the tent to reveal a horror. "Guys, isn't that an Atlas Mech." Crimson asked, Onyx replied "Yea, uh grab the LMGs and run, Now!" They grabbed their gear and ran toward the woods as the mech came to life, firing its own rockets toward the forest but missing its target. They posted up behind a rock and took point, firing at the foot soldiers. "Alright what now!?" Keppel asked, suppressing fire. Nightshade spoke "Atlas forces are twenty mikes out." Onyx spoke "Alright boys, we just gotta last twenty minutes, it shouldn't be that har…" He was interrupted by mortar fire, the blast being danger close. Keppel started to run as another shell went off, blasting right behind him and launching him forward.

He tumbled across the ground, struggling to get up. Carmine ran to him "Get up Keppel, Get the fuck up!" Carmine yelled, pulling him to his feet. "Thanks man, I appreciate it." Keppel said, brushing himself off. Just then they heard a crack in the distance, the unmistakable sound of a Sniper rifle "Sniper!" Keppel yelled, dropping to the ground and crawling to his rifle. He deployed the Bi Pod and took aim, locating the sniper; He fired a shot, taking the snipers head off. As he readjusted another crack went off, but it was too late. The round went through Keppel's head, killing him instantly. Crimson fired his LMG at the sniper, filling the tower with bullet holes.

"Fuck, we lost Keppel!" Grullo yelled, they scattered to find new cover. Onyx readied his weapon "What's it a good day for?" Onyx yelled, "It's a good day to kick ass and take names! Heart Breakers and Life Takers til we die! Wolf Pack!" The four other mercs yelled, firing back at the charging White Fang. Grullo detonated the first wave of C4, ripping the tree line apart. The mech pushed through the line, firing rockets at the mercs, but again missing. Carmine charged his supernova and threw it at the mech, nailing it square in the face. The explosion ripped it apart, destroying it but when the smoke cleared there were three more mechs. One fired its machine gun, its bullets ripping apart the brush, Crimson got caught in the hail of fire and was killed. Crimson dropped to his knees as a bullet ripped through his head and slammed his body into the ground. "Damn it, Crimson!" Carmine yelled, trying to get to him but he was being held back by Nightshade and Onyx "Carmine! Carmine, He's gone!" Onyx yelled at him, trying to get him to snap out of it. "I'll kill them, I'll kill them all!" Carmine yelled, breaking free and running at the mech, charging a supernova.

He planted the charge on its foot as he ran under it, letting it detonate behind. With two mechs left, Grullo detonated the second wave, wiping out more trees and soldiers. As they were hiding, four Atlas airships flew over. One landed near the Wolf Pack, they ran toward it while dodging gunfire, Grullo got winged in the shoulder and leg causing him to collapse. Carmine turned back and ran to save him, he grabbed his arm and started to pull him toward the ship. "Come on, you bastard fucking move." Carmine yelled but Grullo shook his head "It's over for me, I've lost too much blood already. Take this." He said as he handed Carmine the detonator, which he took as Grullo pulled out his LMG "I'll hold them off, GO!" Grullo yelled as he fired at the approaching foot soldiers, Carmine nodded and ran to the ship.

He stumbled into the ship, hitting the floor with a thud. "Grullo sacrificed himself to save us." Carmine said panting as the ship took off, beginning to fly away. "Wait, what about the two mechs!?" Nightshade asked causing everyone's eyes to go wide "They have SAMs too don't they?" Carmine asked the Atlas soldier, who nodded "Brace for impact, Again." Onyx yelled as two rockets impacted the side, blowing a hole in the side and sucking the atlas soldier out. The detonator hit the wall and triggered the explosives to detonate in the forest, the air ship tumbled down as the mechs chased the aircraft. The ship impacted into the forest of Forever Fall, ripping through the trees and crashing. Carmine, Nightshade, and Onyx crawled from the wreckage. They had guns pointed at them as they stood up, just to be put on their knees.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the thorn and his thorn friends." Roman Torchwick said as he walked toward the last three members of Wolf Pack, he continued "Which thorn will I cut down first, You!" He yelled, pointing at Nightshade. The foot soldiers dragged him over and put him on his knees in front of Roman. Nightshade spoke "Thank you both for an amazing opportunity to serve The Wolf Pack. Heart Breaker and Life Taker till I die!" Nightshade yelled out loud as Roman shot him in the head. "Well, he was annoying. So who's next, oh I know what. How about the brother of the man who almost killed me." Neo walked up to Carmine and took his knife from the sheath, and thrusted it into Onyx's chest and pushed him backward. She kissed Carmine on the head and skipped away, suddenly two airships landed and Atlas troops stormed the forest, taking out the white fang. Carmine broke free from his restraints and ran to Onyx as Neo and Roman disappeared into the forest.

"Onyx! Onyx! Stay with me, Onyx!" Carmine yelled, as he started to cry "Medic!" He called out but Onyx spoke up "Don't cry little brother, go and live your life. For me, become a huntsman like your older brother wanted to. I love you, Carmine." Onyx said as life left his eyes. Carmine yelled out "ONYX!" Birds flew from the trees. He pulled the knife from Onyx's chest and cleaned the blood off it "I'll make them pay for this, all of them. I'll find their HQ and bring them hell!" Carmine said, sheathing the knife.

Atlas soldiers grabbed Carmine and led him to an awaiting airship, he sat down and looked up at the soldier "Will you collect their dog tags for me, they'll have this patch on." He asked, pointing to an emblem of a Beowolf with a sword through its head, the soldier nodded and left. He returned thirty minutes later, presenting all five dogtags to Carmine who took them, his hand trembling.

A tall man approached Carmine, he had broad shoulders, black hair and wore a white suit, and had a revolver on his hip. He spoke to the mercenary "Carmine, I am General Ironwood. General of the Atlas Military and headmaster at Atlas Academy. What you and your team did was brave and took guts, for that you have my thanks and as a token of my gratitude, you can ask for whatever you like and I'll see that it is done." He said, bowing to Carmine.

Carmine thought for a moment then spoke "Three things: One, a funeral and burial with the highest honor for each mercenary who died today. Two, access to Atlas munitions when ever I may need it. Including weaponry, vehicles, and ammo, with no cost to me. An Atlas card that pays for any and all ammo or dust I may need" Ironwood growled lowly at his second request. "And your third request?" Ironwood asked to which Carmine just looked at him "Admission into Beacon Academy." He said to Ironwood, who looked shocked. "What, why not Atlas? We have an amazing academy." Ironwood said trying to persuade him but Carmine shook his head "It was my brothers dying wish for me to attend Beacon. So can you or not." He said leaning his head back against the airship's wall. Ironwood sighed "I'll see to it that these are done, in the meantime this ship will take you back to Vale where you can go rest up." Ironwood said, saying his goodbyes to Carmine, leaving the airship. The door closed as the airship took off toward Vale, it was a short flight to their destination. The airship landed, letting Carmine leave for the Wolf Pack HQ. He walked into the dark room, closing the door and leaving him in complete darkness. He flipped a switch to turn the lights on, illuminating the dark room and presenting The Wolf Pack banner that was hung on the wall.

Carmine sighed and walked into the armory, placing his gear and weapons into his locker. He closed the door and walked to his bedroom that was across from the armory, laying in the bed and closing his eyes, drifting to sleep. He awoke hours later to the sound of someone knocking on the door, he got out of bed to answer the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see three Atlas soldiers, one handed him an envelope. Carmine opened it, reading the letter "Dear Carmine Sable, it is with great pleasure that we accept your request to join Beacon Academy. You have been recommended by General Ironwood and with that recommendation, are waved of taking the admission test. We look forward to seeing you on the first day of school next year. Sincerely, Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon." Carmine finished reading and smiled ear to ear. The soldier handed him a small box "This is from General Ironwood." The Soldier said, Carmine opened the box, revealing a white card that said Atlas across the front. There was a note with it "Here is your limitless Atlas Card, don't go overboard." Carmine smiled and placed the card in his pocket. The soldier spoke up again "The funeral for your five comrades will be in a couple days. It will be held here in Vale." Carmine nodded, shaking his head.

Five days passed since The Wolf Pack had been wiped out and Carmine got dressed for the funeral, he looked at a framed picture that sat on his dresser of him and a woman with jet black hair and sapphire blue eyes "First they take you from me and now they take my brothers, when will it stop." Carmine said as he looked at the picture, a single tear fell from his eye onto the glass of the frame. He looked over at the pistol that sat on his nightstand as dark thoughts flooded his head but he shook them away "I need to live! For them!" Carmine yelled to himself as he stood up and walked out of the room.

He left for the cemetery but was surprised to see nobody gathered there, but someone whistled to grab his attention. Carmine turned to see Ironwood waving at him, he was standing in the section reserved for war Heroes and soldiers who completed acts of Valor. Carmine approached him, he smiled "You asked for them to be buried with the highest honors. They will be remembered as war heroes, you will also receive a Medal of Valor for your acts. Their names will be placed in the Hall of Honor in Atlas, your name as well. Atlas and Vale owe you and your team a great debt, we thank you." Ironwood said, leading him to the memorial spot where five coffins lay, a Wolf Pack flag draped over the top of each one. As the coffins were lowered into the ground, soldiers dressed in the military's formal wear fired their rifles into the air, the twenty one gun salute. Ironwood handed Carmine a box, he opened the top to see their patches and dog tags, also with their knives and sheathes. Carmine thanked Ironwood with tears in his eyes. "I'll make them pay, I'll make Roman burn." Carmine said to himself as he looked at the Wolf Pack patches.

 ********* Present Day**********

"And that is what happened to The Wolf Pack." Carmine said to his audience, who were now in tears "Man that is so sad and horrible." Regalia said, wiping her eyes. Laurel spoke up "At least they got a proper burial, a funeral of Honor and Valor. You're a strong man, Carmine." Celadon was quiet, Carmine noticed "Celadon, you ok?" He asked, worried. Celadon shook his head "Yea, I'm just taking it all in. So that is how you have all those explosives." Celadon said causing Carmine to smile "Yep, here it is." Carmine said, revealing the white Atlas card.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, Carmine went to answer it. He opened the door, revealing Blake standing there "Hey you, you ready to go to town?" She asked, Carmine was silent for a moment "Oh, yea just let me clean myself up real quick. I just woke up from a nap after the fight. Come on in" He said, opening the door to let her in. She was hesitant at first but finally went inside, she sat on Carmine's bed as he went to the bathroom to wash his face and apply cologne. Blake looked around his room, she laid back in his bed and relaxed while waiting for him. "I knew this was all just a plan to get into my bed." Carmine said to Blake, teasing her and causing her to blush as she smiled at him "Stop it." She slapped his upper arm at his teasing. They left for town, the two walking together toward the airdock to board a ship to Vale. A short flight later and they were in town "So, what do you want to do?" Carmine asked Blake who looked around town, spotting a restaurant "Let's grab something to eat!" She said, taking Carmine's hand and leading him to the restaurant she saw. The restaurant appeared to be on the finer side of dining.

She led him inside and got a table for two. The waiter sat them in the back, Carmine pointed to a better table "How about that table over there?" He asked the waiter who just shook his head "I'm sorry sir but that is reserved for VIP's only, not people like you." This remark made Carmine angry "Do you know who I am? I'm Carmine Sable, The Titan of Wolf Pack. I'm pretty sure I'm VIP." He said in a quiet angry tone, the waiter's eyes went wide "My sincerest apologies, Sir. Please follow me." He apologized and led them to the VIP table, giving them each a Menu. After the waiter left, Blake looked at Carmine confused "Titan of Wolf Pack? What were you talking about?" She asked confused, Carmine sighed lifted his sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a Beowolf with a sword through its skull. "It was my old mercenary group, we saved this town so many times that we were practically celebrities. I still get this VIP treatment but I rarely use it, but I thought you should experience the finer things tonight." He said to her, smiling. She blushed and smiled back.

The waiter returned with drinks for the two, taking their orders: Carmine ordered the steak, cooked medium, served with a side salad, Blake ordered the salmon. The waiter left to place their orders, leaving the two to talk. Blake broke the silence "Thank you for coming with me tonight. I want to ask you something, what did you mean you were afraid to get too close to someone?" She asked, placing her hand on his. He looked down at the table then looked up at her and spoke "I used to be hunted by The White Fang and a man known as Roman Torchwick." This caused her eyes to go wide "The wh-White Fang?" She asked, her voice shaking a bit. "Yea, that's also how my team got wiped out. The White Fang killed my team and one of Roman Torchwick's henchmen killed my brother, her name is Neopolitan. I held him in my arms as he died, he's the one who told me to attend Beacon." Carmine said, placing his hand on hers which surprised her.

Blake looked down at the table, but Carmine lifted her head with his hand "What's wrong? I hope I didn't upset you, did I?" He asked her, concerned. She shook her head "That's not it, it's just that I…. I used to be in The White Fang." She said, expecting Carmine to be upset but was surprised when he held her hand tighter "I know, and I know that you left before any of this happened to me and Wolf Pack. I know because you didn't try to kill me when you first saw me. I regret my actions of the past but I had a mission to do. It haunts me everyday, I sometimes have nightmares about it. I was there in the attack on the White Fang camp fifteen miles west, they were planning an attack on Vale. They had stolen Atlas mechs and Mobile Anti Air units. If we hadn't intervened, the death toll would have been massive." Carmine said to her, telling of his dark past.

Blake's eyes were wide as Carmine told her about that day a year ago "And it's because of that I'm afraid to get too close to someone, in case the white fang or Torchwick and his goons find me. They will kill anyone I care about just to get to me." He said to her.

As he explained it to her, their food arrived and they ate, changing the subject. As they ate, he asked her about her being a Faunus "Why do you hide it? Be proud to be who you are. I for one supported the White Fang movement before they were radicalized." Carmine said, this put a smile on her face. "Not everyone feels the same way about faunus as you do, I haven't even told my team. You're the first one at Beacon who knows aside from Ozpin." She said, touching her bow. After eating, the check came. They reached for it at the same time, touching hands causing them to retract, Blake blushing.

Carmine took the check and put the white Atlas card on it. "Atlas! How do you have an Atlas card?" Blake asked, shocked. "Ironwood owed me big time for taking out that camp, and it was compensation for me losing my team, which there is nothing that can compensate for that." Carmine explained, the waiter returning with the card, thanking them for dining there and thanking Carmine for saving Vale.

They left and entered downtown Vale, the street lights illuminating the darkness. Carmine held Blake's hand as they walked down the street until Carmine got an Idea. "Hey, follow me. I want to show you something." Carmine said, leading her to a shop and knocking on the door. "We're closed, come back tomorrow." A voice called through, Carmine yelled back "What, ain't got time for an old friend?" There was a rush of locks unlocking, the door flung open and Mindaro grabbed Carmine in a bear hug "Oh it's good to see you, you son of a bitch! How've you been? How's Beacon treating you? I heard the explosions earlier from here." Mindaro rambled on, excited to see his friend "Blake, this is Mindaro, he's my weapons dealer. I get all my ammo from him and he's the one who gave me my FiveSeven," Carmine explained, Mindaro put Carmine down "Oh, where are my manners. It's nice to meet you, any friend of Carmine is a friend of mine." Mindaro said, shaking her hand, leading them inside.

"So what brings you out at this time of night?" Mindaro asked, stepping behind the counter "Well, I took this beautiful girl to dinner and told her about my past. Turns out we're more alike than I thought and I thought I'd introduce her to my dealer." Carmine explained, turning to Blake "Get whatever you want, it's on me." He said, she walked to the counter and asked for three boxes of 9mm. Carmine walked up next to her, pulling out his FiveSeven and placed it on the counter "I need something that packs more of a punch, the FiveSeven has done its job. Its time for a change." Carmine told the clerk who thought "Hmm, how about a .45." Mindaro asked pulling out a revolver but Carmine shook his head "Bigger, like a hand cannon." Carmine replied, Mindaro looked surprised "You can't be serious, if you want it you better be careful." He said, pulling a box from the counter "May I present to you, the Shift & Westing .500 Magnum Hand Cannon. It takes two hands to fire it but I think you might be able to one hand it." Mindaro explained, pulling out the large revolver. Carmine's eyes lit up "I'll take it, does it come with a flashlight attachment?" Carmine asked handing him the card, Mindaro pulled out a flashlight and ten boxes of ammo. He swiped the card and gave Carmine the receipt to sign.

Mindaro placed the revolver and flashlight attachment into the gun's box. "Here you go, enjoy!" Mindaro said, handing him the box and FiveSeven which Carmine holstered, he turned to Blake "You sure you don't want a new weapon?" He asked her but she just shook her head "No thanks, I like my weapon." She said but Carmine shook his head "Not what I meant. I carry this FiveSeven as a backup, you don't have a backup weapon." Carmine said to Blake, turning to Mindaro "P226, Compensator, green laser sight, and extended magazine. Seven packs of bullets." Carmine said to the weapons clerk who retrieved what was asked, placing the pistol on the counter and put on the attachment "Here you go, Black Viper's P226 with a compensator, laser sight, and extended mag. I put one of the clips like I put on your FiveSeven, so you can holster it anywhere." Mindaro said handing it to Carmine who gave it to Blake, who was hesitant at first but took it and put it on her side. He gave him the card, he swiped it and gave him the receipt to sign.

After signing, the two said their goodbyes to the gun dealer and made their way back to Beacon until Carmine stopped her "I hope it doesn't sound too forward but may I see your ears?" He asked shyly, which she didn't think was possible. She blushed and took him by the hand and led him to a secluded area, she looked around to see if they were alone. She reached up and untied her bow, revealing her cat ears. Carmine looked at them in awe "They're beautiful, and they make you look so much cuter." He said to her, causing her to blush. "Stop, you're making me blush." She giggled, pushing him playfully. He looked into her eyes, stepping closer to her. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat as he got closer. She closed her eyes as he kissed her, connecting their lips in an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer, he removed his lips from hers and stepped back trying to form a sentence "I'm Sorry that was uncalled for, I shoul…" He was cut off by her kissing him "Sometimes you just have to go for it and not think about it, shut up and kiss me." She said with a purr in her voice, Carmine kissed her, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her close to him. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes and she looked up at him, she whispered to him "You deserve to be able to love someone and not live in fear of losing them." Blake said, placing her head on his chest.

Carmine ran his hand through her hair, touching her cat ears accidentally. This caused her to jump a little, Carmine chuckled a bit "Sorry, my little kitten." He said flirtatiously, causing her to smile and blush. "It's alright, my Titan." She said to him, placing her hand on his rough face. Feeling one of the scars he had from years of battle. Carmine spoke to her "I think we should head back to Beacon before people start asking questions." He said, letting go of her. She replaced the bow on her head, fixing it.

They headed toward the airdocks to board an airship back to Beacon, hand in hand they boarded the ship and sat down, she placed her head on his shoulder. Carmine sat back and took it all in, from the fight to dinner to kissing Blake, he couldn't help but smile. As the airship landed, Carmine stood up and picked up Blake, causing her to yelp in surprise "What are you doing?" She asked blushing and giggling, Carmine chuckled "I don't know it just felt right." He said, carrying her off the ship and into their dorm hall. He let her down so she could walk to her dorm room, they stood in front of each other in front of her dorm room. He locked lips with her, kissing her goodnight. "Goodnight, my kitten." He said, hugging her. "Goodnight, my Titan." She replied, entering her dorm.

Carmine walked with swagger down the hall to his dorm, gaining his composure before he entered. As he opened the door, he was swamped by his teammates who were eager to see how his date with Blake went. Celadon asked first "Well, how'd it go? Where did you take her?" He asked eagerly "It went great, I took her to that nice place in Vale and I used the fact that I was in Wolf Pack to get an awesome spot reserved for VIP only." Carmine told him, Laurel spoke up next "So, did you get past second base? What did you two do?" Regalia slugged him in the arm "We have no business asking such things." She said to Laurel, causing Carmine to laugh "If you must know, I took her to meet my weapons dealer and I bought her a Viper P226 and ten packs of 9mm. I got this big bitch." Carmine said, pulling it out the magnum. Their eyes went wide at the sight of the behemoth of a revolver "I got someone in mind that this is for, that motherfucker Roman Torchwick. I'm gonna have that little bitch on his knees." Carmine said with an angry look on his face. "Oh, and I kissed Blake." He said laughing, Celadon and Laurel's jaws dropped. Laurel just sat there with a look of approval on his face while Celadon was excited "Oh Carmine, that is so great. Does that mean you two are dating now? Oh this makes me so happy!" Celadon said excitedly, hugging Carmine. Carmine chuckled "Man, you sound like you're my mom, calm down bro." He said laughing.

He broke from Celadon's death grip and unholstered his FiveSeven, putting it under his pillows. He put the revolver's box on the table, opening it up to reveal the hand cannon. He loaded five large rounds into the reel, closing it. He left it on the table as he put the the boxes of ammo up in the storage closet.

Carmine hopped in the shower to wash away the day, letting the water run through his dark brown hair and down his back. He walked out of the bathroom in a pair of gym shorts and went to get in bed but Regalia called his attention "Hey Carmine, what's that on your arm?" She asked, pointing to his arm. Carmine replied to her "Oh, it's my Wolf Pack tattoo. We all had them, it's our symbol, a Beowolf head with a sword through it." She nodded her head, her curiousness answered. Carmine got into bed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about his night with Blake. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of kissing her, he closed his eyes, falling asleep.

 **(A/N: Wow that took quite a while to write, I hope y'all like it. Let me know what you thought of this and other chapters and as always remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review. Also let me know what you thought of the flashback and what you would like to see happen in the story**


	6. Chapter 6: Titan's Fall

Chapter 6: Titan's Fall

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs. Enjoy! This will be a long chapter so buckle up, fuckboi!**

Sunlight pushed through the window, illuminating the room and waking up Carmine. He stretched his legs and got out of bed, going to the bathroom to start his day. He turned the shower on, feeling the water heat up with his hand, he stripped from his pants and stepped into the shower. The hot water flowed over him, soaking his shaggy dark brown hair and running down his back across the scars he had collected from years of battle. Having thoroughly cleaned himself up, Carmine stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, drying off his hair and his body. He pulled on a pair of boxers and gym shorts he brought in with him, he combed his hair backward, bringing the wet strands of hair to attention but flattened them with his fingers and returned it to shaggy again, Carmine smirked at himself in the mirror.

He left the bathroom, throwing the towel and his dirty clothes into a laundry hamper, he went to the dresser and started to grab his uniform before he remembered that it was Saturday and he had no class. He closed the dresser and laid in bed, trying to think of what he should do today "I could go train in the Emerald Forest." He said to himself, deciding what to do on his day off as he got out of bed to get dressed for training in the forest. Before he left for the locker room, he grabbed Celadon's scroll from the nightstand, he connected his Aura vitals to his teammates scroll "Just in case shit goes south." Carmine said softly, setting the device back down on to the nightstand before grabbing a shirt and leaving for the locker room.

He closed the door softly and turned to face an empty hall, Carmine started down the hall toward the locker room. He reached the door to the courtyard which he pushed open to exit the dorm building and entering the courtyard, he turned toward the center of Beacon and started walking in that direction, eventually making it to the statue in the center which meant that the locker rooms were just on the other side. He kept walking and eventually made it to the locker room, he quickly found locker 245 and opened it, showing the custom arsenal to the Titan.

Carmine pulled on the hoodie and Heavy IBA, slipping his KVA's on over his gym shorts and pulled on the steel-toed Combat Boots. He inserted Mags into their holders on the front of his IBA, inserting his KA-Bar into its sheath with an audible click. He pulled out a holster and clipped it to his side, placing his MP7 into it and locking it in place, Carmine loaded spare mags for the MP7 into the side of the IBA along with two bricks of C-4 "Just in case shit goes sideways." He said to himself with a chuckle as he pulled out three M67 Grenades, placing them in their pouch. He pulled on his gloves and punched his fists together, the metal clanging together and echoing throughout the locker room which caused Carmine to smile "Oh yea, this is gonna be fun." He said to himself as he grabbed his mask and Scar, closing the locker and exiting the locker room. He turned toward the docks and made his way to an awaiting airship, he handed the pilot a couple lien "Drop me off in the Emerald Forest." Carmine said to him, the pilot nodding as Carmine took a seat in the back.

The airship took off toward the forest as Carmine requested, the ship quickly arrived to its destination and landed, letting Carmine out into a clearing. He slapped the side of the ship, causing it to take off back to Beacon and leaving him alone in the forest. Carmine began walking into the forest, taking in the surrounding area as he moved deeper. He pulled out his Scar and pulled back the bolt, loading a bullet into the chamber and readied it for combat.

The sound of snapping branches got his attention, he turned the safety off and faced the noise as a Beowolf exited the brush, snarling its teeth at Carmine. He raised his rifle and fired off two shots, dispatching the Grimm instantly but that only attracted more. Carmine turned his attention to two more Beowolves behind him, he was quick to turn and fire off four more rounds but only killed one, and the one he missed tackled him to the ground.

Carmine grabbed his MP7 and unloaded into the Grimm's chest, spilling blood all over the forest floor and Carmine. He pushed the now smoking corpse off of him and pushed himself off the ground, reloading the MP7 and holstering it again. He picked up his rifle as another Grimm charged him, Carmine delivered a swift kick to its jaw and sent it backward. Carmine shot off a round into its head and killed it, turning to face the other Grimm that surrounded and circled him. He put his rifle away and raised his fists, a Beowolf lunged at him but he countered it, grabbing its arm and snapping it. It yelped out in pain as Carmine drove his foot down onto its neck, snapping it and killing it. He turned the MP7 into a Bowie Knife and readied himself to take on the others, he charged one of them and drove the blade into its chest, twisting it and pulling it out to stab another one in the neck repeatedly, killing it swiftly and brutally.

As he fought the Grimm in hand to claw combat, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched not by a Grimm, but by a person. Carmine punched a Grimm in the face, the sound of bone crunching beneath his fist echoing into the forest. He thinned the number of Grimm that surrounded him slowly, all but three were dead. He pulled out his rifle to finish them off, firing off two rounds into the first one killing it. He aimed at the remaining two but was stopped when gunfire came from the bushes, shredding the Grimm. Carmine laughed "Guys, did you follow me out here because you were curious?" He asked the bushes "You could say that, Carmine Sable of Wolf Pack." Said a suave voice, Carmine's attitude took a complete 180 degree turn, from lighthearted to pissed. "Who the fuck are you and how do you know me? Answer me or I'll fill you with bullets!" Carmine yelled but the voice laughed "Oh, but I have you surrounded so I'd like to see you try." The voice said, White Fang foot soldiers walked out of the brush and bushes with their rifles all pointed at Carmine, one of the soldiers kicked him in the back of the legs, dropping him to his knees and handcuffing him. They took his rifle and submachine gun as the voice exited the brush.

"Roman Torchwick, you son of a bitch! I should have wasted you when I had the chance!" Carmine yelled but a White Fang soldier started to choke him out, Carmine gasped for air. "Enough!" Roman shouted, the soldier dropped Carmine and backed away. "So, I've found the surviving thorn in my side, I can't wait to kill you and your little girlfriend too. What was her name now, Blake right?" Roman said, this pissed Carmine off more "Oh now you fucked up! When I get out of these, I'm gonna make your life a fucking nightmare!" Carmine screamed, but Roman backhanded him "Shut up, dog! You should have just died like your brother did." Roman said, pulling off Carmines mask "Now, let me see your face." He said laughing, Carmine tried to fight back but it was useless. "There, no more hiding. Now, let me see this." He said, pulling Carmines Ka-Bar from the sheath and placing it to his cheek, cutting him across the left side of his face. "Oh, I'm gonna have fun with you. Get his armor off." Roman said, White Fang soldiers started to take off Carmines IBA but he tried to stop them, his attempts were futile. They removed his hoodie as well, leaving him in his KVAs and Boots. "There, now we can have some fun!" Roman said laughing "But I don't want to get my hands dirty. Neo!" He called to the darkness behind him, a small girl with pink and brown hair skipped out and stopped in front of him, giving him a playful salute "You know what to do. Make him scream and beg for death." Roman said, handing her the Ka-Bar.

She nodded her head smiling and turned toward Carmine, strutting toward him while twirling the knife in her hand "Come on, cutie, you don't have to do this. You too adorable for this." Carmine pleaded, but she shook her head, smiling and placing her foot on his chest, pushing him onto his back. She straddled his chest, getting close to his face and placing a kiss on his lips. Carmine laid there wide eyed in confusion "What the hell?" He said out loud, Roman laughed "That's how she does her work. A kiss of death." He said grinning, just then Neo brought the blade across Carmine's chest, cutting him and drawing blood. He winced in pain as she dug her finger into the deep cut on his chest, she made another incision on his side in between his ribs. Carmine tried to fight back but again his efforts proved futile.

She drove the blade down into his thigh, causing him to howl in pain. The sound echoing throughout the forest, Carmine hoped someone would hear him and come rescue him but the odds of that happening were slim to none. She pulled the blade from his leg and lined it up with his upper arm, pulling it down and cutting into the tendon. Carmine yelled out in pain, lifting his leg to try and kick her off but she stabbed him in the other thigh, his leg fell as she pulled the knife from it. Carmine's scroll started ringing, Celadon was calling him. Neo grabbed it and answered it, covering Carmine's mouth with her hand "Carmine! Carmine, Are you ok? What is happening, your aura is dropping rapidly. Carmine answer me!" Celadon shouted over the speaker, Roman grabbed the scroll "Carmine can't come to the phone right now, if you would kindly fuck off so I can kill him in peace, I'd greatly appreciate it." Roman said sarcastically "Listen here you son of a…" Celadon began to speak but Roman hung up the phone "How rude of him, calling at a time like this." Roman said, tossing the scroll to one of the White Fang soldiers who caught it and put it in his pocket.

Neo got off of a now bloody Carmine, she wiped her forehead taking a break, Carmine chuckled and groaned "What's wrong? Not used to being on top?" He said with one eye open, his remark made Neo blush and turn back to him. She got back onto him and went back to work, she pulled out a set of needles and started pushing them through the flesh on Carmine's chest, slowly pushing them deep into his epidermis making him grunt in pain, he chuckled "I'm gonna enjoy ripping you apart, and I'll force you to watch me disembowel Roman slowly." He said laughing, his eyes glowing a deeper red causing her to gasp and step back "He's trying to get into your head, Neo!" Roman shouted, snapping her back to reality. Just then an airship flew over and landed in the clearing "Neo! Finish This!" Roman shouted as the White Fang soldiers ran to engage the occupants of the airship "Hurry! His vitals are fading!" Carmine heard Celadon in the distance followed by gunfire, he turned his head to face the noise but Neo grabbed his face and made him face her again.

She placed a kiss on his lips again as she brought the knife down into his chest, his eyes shot open at the painful sensation, she got off of him and walked toward Roman as Celadon, Regalia, and Laurel broke the treeline followed by Team RWBY. She blew a kiss to the two teams as she and Roman burst into shards of glass "Carmine!" Blake screamed, running toward him and dropping to the ground followed by Celadon "Come on Carmine! Stay with me!" Celadon shouted, Laurel ran up with a stretcher in tow "Come on, we have to get him back to Beacon, Stat!" Laurel shouted as Blake tried to stop the bleeding but it proved pointless as there were too many open wounds.

Blake started to breakdown, Regalia quickly comforting her "He'll be fine, He's a tough motherfucker!" Regalia said, turning her attention to a few White Fang soldiers who lay wounded on the ground, she let go of Blake as Yang grabbed a hold of her "I got her, you do what you gotta do." Yang said, Regalia nodded drawing a Beretta M9, pulling back the slide and walking over to the Soldiers on the ground.

She drove her foot down into a soldiers gut, pointing her pistol at him "Where did Roman go!?" She demanded, but the soldier just spat at her "I'm not telling you anything, Human trash." He said, she grinned and shot him in the leg, putting the barrel into the fresh wound "Where is he?" She asked as the White Fang soldier screamed in pain "I don't know! I don't know!" He pleaded but she backhanded him "Quit fucking lying, where the fuck is he?" She asked as she shot him in the other leg "AH! Vale Seaport! Warehouse!" He screamed out "Thank You." She said, placing the barrel into his mouth and pulling the trigger, painting the tree he was up against and put a round in the other two soldiers.

She walked back to the group as Celadon and Laurel loaded Carmine into the the airship, Yang grabbed the handcuffs and snapped them, freeing Carmine's hands. He was fading in and out of consciousness, his breathing ragged and labored. Blake grabbed his hand, holding him close to her as she cried.

"Don't….cry…. my... kitten. I hate … to …see you …. upset." Carmine said struggling with his words before slipping unconscious "Go! We don't have time!" Laurel yelled at the pilot, who took off as soon as everyone boarded, they made it back to Beacon in no time. When they landed, Celadon and Laurel grabbed the stretcher and ran toward the infirmary with Carmine, Regalia sprinted ahead of them and kicked the door down to the infirmary "We need the ICU Now!" She yelled as Celadon and Laurel ran in with Carmine, who bleeding arm was leaving a trail of blood. The doctors ran out with another stretcher and took Carmine into the back, the doors closing. Celadon leaned his back against the wall and slid to the floor, his face showing one of fear and shock. Laurel picked up the door Regalia had kicked off of the hinges. Regalia sat in a chair, her head in her hands. Team RWBY and JNPR ran in shortly after "Where is he?" Yang asked "They took him in the back." Laurel said now leaning against the wall "I'm gonna make Roman and Neo suffer." Celadon said, staring blankly at the wall. "Let's start with making sure he pulls through this first, then we can focus on vengeance." Laurel said, shaking his head.

Three hours later the ER doctor came out covered in blood "Well, I've got good news and bad news. Good news is he'll survive." The teams cheered but were cut off by the doctor "But, bad news is whoever did this was a professional. They slit his tendon in his arm and stabbed his ACL and Hamstring. It'll be a while before he's ready for action. Even then, I'm not 100% sure he'll be able to walk." The doctor said, causing everyone to gasp. Blake covered her mouth to muffle her cries, she turned and sprinted out of the infirmary, Regalia took off after her. Celadon looked to the doctor "When we be able to see him?" He asked but the doctor shook his head "We put him in a medically induced coma, so he can heal. He won't be awake for a while." The doctor said, causing everyone to sigh but the doctor spoke up again "Um, is there a Blake Belladonna here? He kept calling for her, he had tears in his eyes." The doctor asked, looking around "She just ran out of here, we'll get her back asap." Yang said turning and running out the door.

Regalia sprinted across the courtyard, chasing Blake down "Blake Stop!" Regalia shouted causing her to stop and turn around "Why!? It's my fault that he's like this!" Blake yelled, tears in her eyes. Regalia walked up to her and slapped her "How can you say that? You weren't there so you have no way of being responsible. The man that loves you was dying in the ER and you ran away. He needs you now more than ever." Regalia told her, Blake looked shocked but snapped out of it when Yang arrived "Blake! Blake, Carmine was calling for you before they put him under. So you need to go be with him, for when he wakes up." Yang told her, she looked shocked but nodded "Alright, lead the way." She said, following the two other girls back to the ER. As they entered, the doctor walked into the lobby "Are you Blake Belladonna?" He asked to which she nodded "Yes sir." She replied "He was calling for you when got him into the ER. You can go be with him if you feel up to it. You and his team are welcome back there." He said, Celadon shot up when he heard this.

The doctor led them back into the ICU, into a room in the back "Here he is, if you need anything we're just down the hall." The doctor told them, Laurel nodded "Thank You, Sir." He said, sliding the door closed. Regalia pulled out a large pack, opening it she pulled out his gas mask, Scar, and MP7, placing them on the counter. "Well, now is a better time than ever to do it" She said placing her hands together, causing them to glow purple as she rubbed them together, she ran her hand over his chest, the small wounds closing. She put both hands over the larger wounds, focusing her power to close them.

Carmine's eyes shot open as he started yelling out in agonizing pain, Laurel covered his mouth and nodded to Regalia to continue. She placed her hands on his legs, focusing the purple energy into his thighs "Come on you son of a bitch! Heal!" She growled as the flesh started to pull itself together, mending the cut hamstring. She moved to the other side and attempted the same process but collapsed from exhaustion.

Celadon caught her "You did good! This is perfect, now you need to rest, then we'll work on the other leg." He said to her, she nodded as she took a seat against the wall to rest, the doctor ran in "I heard screaming, is he ok?" He asked, Laurel nodded "Yea, she used her semblance on him to mend the hamstring. She'll work on the other one when she's rested up." Laurel said, the doctor nodded "Alright, let us know next time you decide to do something like this." He said, everyone nodded in agreement.

Blake was shocked at what she just saw "Uh, what was that?" She asked, Celadon spoke up to answer her question "Regalia has the ability to direct her aura into or onto anyone, in this case she used her own aura to heal his wounds. The cut hamstring was so bad that it took a lot out of her to heal it. When she's rested, we'll work on the other leg and then the arm." Celadon said, "So if that's her semblance, what is yours?" Blake asked curiously "Well, I have the ability steal a person's Aura and use it as my own or against them, and Laurel can nullify or redirect semblances, as well as read a person's mind, both conscious and subconscious. Combined with a leader who can basically create an atomic bomb, we're not a force to be fucked with. Roman Torchwich has fucked up, royally." Celadon said explaining their powers.

After four hours, Regalia had finally regained her stamina "Alright, let's do this. Laurel, cover his mouth." She said, Laurel nodded and covered Carmine's mouth as Regalia put her hands together, they began to glow purple again as she placed them over his leg "Sorry sir, but this is gonna hurt." She said as she focused her aura into his leg, once again his eye's shot open and muffled screaming could be heard from Carmine "Hang on sir, just a little bit longer." Regalia said, as the muscles under his skin began twitching and moving. After a minute, the glowing stopped "Is that it?" Blake asked eagerly, an exhausted Regalia nodded "Yea, when the leg or body part stops glowing, which means there is nothing left to heal." She said to Blake, she moved to his arm and charged her hands again, directing her aura into his arm, but it took no time for it to heal. "There, that should do it. He still needs a lot of rest though." Regalia said, taking a seat.

Blake sat next to the bed and took Carmine's hand in hers, interlocking her fingers with his, she felt his hand squeeze hers. She laid her head on the bed next to him, she could feel his body heat permeate out of him as she laid next to him.

She awoke a couple of hours later when he began to stir "Ugh, what happened? Where am I?" Carmine asked confused "You're in the infirmary, your Team and Team RWBY came to your rescue." Blake told him "Oh, hey Blake. I hope you didn't worry too much about me." He said with a chuckle. "She was really worried, she never left your side." Celadon said which caused Carmine to smile but it quickly faded "So what's the damage?" He asked with a serious look on his face. "Well, multiple lacerations, Cut tendon, two cut hamstrings, and the knife went into your left ventricle. They were able to remove it and repair the damage. Regalia was able to repair the hamstrings and tendon in your arm." Laurel explained. Carmine lifted his arm, flexing his arm "Wow, it's like it was before. Actually, maybe a little better." Carmine said, everyone laughed.

He pushed himself out of bed, Celadon grabbed his shoulder to steady him. He put pressure on his left leg, testing it then his right leg. He now stood upright, walking slowly around the room. "Still a little pain but that will go away." Carmine said "Now, where are my pants?" He asked, Laurel busted out laughing "Things you hear after a one night stand for five hundred." He said, laughing tossing Carmine his pants which he put on, one leg at a time and zipping them up. "Oh and here's this. I had Celadon run back and grab it." Laurel said, handing him his FiveSeven. "Thanks for everything, guys. That is the last time I go train solo." Carmine said putting the pistol in his waistband. "Oh, before you ask, your gear is back in your locker. Your rifle, Submachine Gun, and gas mask are behind you." Regalia said, pointing to the counter and handing him a bag. He nodded in thanks.

He put the mask and weapons in the bag, zipping it up. "Alright, I'm ready when you are." Carmine said, putting the bag on his back. Regalia slid the door open and they exited but were stopped by the doctor "I can't let you leave without an evaluation first." The doctor told him, leading him into a side room. Carmine groaned "I feel fine, I think everything is better. But one thing I can't figure out is why I couldn't use my semblance. If I could have, I would have blown them away." Carmine said, the doctor nodded "We found a toxin in your bloodstream that blocked you from using it. You lost a lot of blood a well, so when we did a transfusion, the new blood pushed out the last of the toxin." He told Carmine, showing him the blood test "Element three?" Carmine asked confused "Yes, that is what we're calling it but I'm sure it's Deathstalker Venom, which acts as a neurotoxin. If it had been left to circulate longer, it would have stopped your nervous system." The doctor said to Carmine. "So, am I good?" Carmine asked, the doctor nodded "Yes, Just take it easy for a while ok, you might not get so lucky next time." He said.

Carmine shook his hand and left with his team, his arm wrapped around Blake, holding her close as they left the infirmary "So, when are we going after Roman?" Carmine asked, everyone just stared at him "You just don't quit do you?" Laurel asked, shaking his head "Well, Roman killed Nightshade and Neo killed Onyx and she almost killed me, so I have to cut the head off of this snake before they kill someone else." Carmine said, Regalia stood in front of him "Well, I tortured one of his soldiers into giving me his whereabouts: Vale Seaport, Warehouse. That's where we find him, we'll strike once you rest up." She said, pointing toward the harbor. He agreed "Yea, I need to regain my strength."

As they walked, something was still on his mind "I can't wait to kill you and your little girlfriend too. What was her name now, Blake right?" Roman's words echoed in Carmine's head 'How did he know about Blake?' He thought to himself trying to figure it out, he was snapped out of thought by Blake "Carmine, you ok?" She asked him, concerned. "Yea, yea. I'm just thinking about something Roman said to me before he sent Neo to torture me. He said "I can't wait to kill you and your little girlfriend too. What was her name? Blake Right?" My question is, how did he know about you and I?" Carmine confessed, everyone stopped and looked at him in shock "Bu… But how did he know, there weren't many people who saw us together except. The waiter, remember how he looked at you in disgust. He was White Fang!" Blake said, suddenly realizing who had seen them together and would report to Roman. Carmine pulled out his FiveSeven and attached the suppressor "Excuse me, I need to go pay someone a visit." He said, pulling back the slide. Regalia grabbed the gun "Oh no no no no, No unnecessary conflict. You need to keep a low profile." She said, unloading the clip and unchambering the round, handing it back to Carmine.

"Fine, let's just get back to the dorm, I'm really tired." He said, walking to the dorm building. After walking for another five minutes, they finally made it to the dorm. The team walked inside, Carmine laying down in bed to rest up. Blake sat on the bed next to him "I'm glad you're ok, Carmine." She said, kissing him on the lips, he returned the kiss. "I'm glad you asked me to go to town with you." He said, making her giggle. She laid down in front of him, he wrapped his arm around her torso and pulled her in close to him, making her blush. He started to fall asleep with her in his arms, she had already succumbed to the warmth and comfort of Carmine and fallen asleep.

When he woke up, she was still with him wrapped in his arms. He looked at the digital clock that was on the wall by the door '4:46 A.M. Man, how long was I out for?' He thought to himself as he got comfortable again but his attention was peaked when he heard Blake talking in her sleep "Carmine….. No… Carmine, we can't…. I….. Love you, Carmine." She said incoherently, Carmine chuckled "I love you too, Blake." He whispered before going back to sleep.

The sun pushed through the window once again signifying that it was morning, Carmine stirred from the sunlight entering the dorm. He opened his eyes and was met with a pair of amber eyes looking back into his red eyes "Hey you." She said, kissing him. He kissed her back, he moved that he was over her and pinned her to the bed. "Hey you." He said, kissing her, she kissed him back. "Did you know you talk in your sleep? You say some pretty cute things in your sleep." He said flirtatiously, booping her on the nose causing her to blush "Wha… What did I say?" She asked, her face red. "Oh nothing bad, just how you love me." He said with a smirk, she hid her face in his arm "Oh no, that is so embarrassing." She said but Carmine stopped her "I feel the same way about you, Blake." He said, she was surprised "Re… Really?" She asked, He kissed her on the lips "That answer your question?" He asked smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her kiss. He returned her kiss, placing his hands on her waist, she let out a light moan that was muffled by Carmine's mouth. He broke their kiss and looked at her with a raised eyebrow "Someone's having a little fun." He said causing her to blush "Your hands surprised me is all." She said, thinking of an excuse. Carmine laughed "Alright, whatever you say, cutie." He said, kissing her on the cheek before getting out of bed.

He walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day, he took his shirt off as he stood in the mirror. He traced his new scars with his fingers lightly, Blake walked up behind him and placed her hands on his back "Scars make you look so much sexier." She said with a purr in her voice, Carmine noticed it "You like what you see?" He asked her chuckling "Mmm Oh yea." She said running her hand down his back and wrapped them around his torso, planting a kiss on his back. He spun around so he was facing her and looked down into her soft, amber eyes. "I love you, Blake Belladonna." Carmine said, she giggled "And I love you, Carmine Sable." She replied, placing her head on his chest.

"Oh, get a room you two." Laurel called out from the other room, Regalia just looked at him "Are you serious?!" She exclaimed holding her arms out "We're in their room and their in our room, you idiot." She said playfully, getting up to walk into the bathroom with the newly formed couple "Let me check out your wounds." Regalia said, Blake stepped aside. Regalia ran her hand across his chest "The scar tissue is forming well, the stitching is holding as well." She said making her prognosis "Why didn't you work your aura magic on this one?" Carmine asked "Well, when Neo was doing her work, she inserted these small needle into your chest, they were also tipped with Deathstalker Venom. That was gonna be here final torture move, but when we showed up she drove your knife into your heart. So, since the the Deathstalker venom blocked your semblance, it also blocked mine. Hold still." Regalia said, raising her hands to his chest, her hands glowing purple.

Carmine grunted in pain as Regalia used her aura to bind his skin together, sealing the wound closed. "There, that should do it." She said pulling out a knife, cutting the stitches. One by one, she pulled out the stitches and tossed them in the trash.

Carmine looked in the mirror at his healed body "Damn Regalia, You do good work." He said thanking her, she bowed "It's an honor to serve you, sir." She replied, Carmine stared at the wall "It's funny, the last person who said that to me was Nightshade." He said, remembering the last moment he saw Nightshade alive. "I'm sorry, sir. He was a good man." Regalia said, Carmine shook his head in agreement "Yes he was." He said. Blake wrapped her arms around his torso again "We're not going anywhere, Carmine." She said, reassuring her new boyfriend.

He walked out of the bathroom and got dressed, putting on his black jeans and T-Shirt, followed by his black high tops. Now dressed and ready, he took Blake's hand and exited the dorm. She laid her head on his arm as they walked down the hall, she stopped at her dorm and knocked. Weiss opened the door "Blake! There you are! We were worried sick when you didn't come back last night." She exclaimed, Carmine raised his hand "Yea, that's my bad. Apparently I'm comfortable." He said, teasing Blake who smacked him on the arm playfully. "May we come in?" Carmine asked, Weiss stepped aside to let them in.

The new couple entered the dorm holding hands, Ruby jumped off of her bed and ran to hug Carmine "You're ok!" Ruby exclaimed happily, then she saw Blake and Carmine "And you're together now! This is sooo great!" She said excitedly, Yang laughed "About time Blake!" Yang said happily. Carmine spoke up "So, what you got planned for today?" He asked but they shook their head "Nothing at all. We were thinking about going to see the new arrivals for the Vytal Festival in Vale." Ruby said, Carmine looked at her "Well, now I'm interested. Let's go scope out the competition!" He said punching his fists together.

The group made their way to the airdocks and boarded an airship to Vale, they took a seat along the wall. The airship took off, making its way to Vale quickly. Landing in Vale, the group made their way to the docks "I heard a group from Vacuo are coming by ship." Ruby said pointing toward a large ship that was docked in the harbor, Carmine nodded "Uh huh." He said, distracted by a building in the distance, Blake noticed "What is it? Roman?" She asked, he looked at her "Yea, that's the warehouse there. He's in there, probably plotting his next attack. If I can get in there, I can stop him before someone else dies or gets hurt." Carmine said, clinching his fists, his knuckles cracking. He shook it from his mind "Sorry, let's go meet the competition." He said, forming a false smile.

"Hey! Stop that Faunus!" Someone yelled chasing a man with blonde hair and an open shirt "Thanks for the ride, guys" The Faunus shouted, giving them a two finger salute. He took off past the group, Carmine drew his FiveSeven and pointed it at the back of the Faunus's head but Celadon knocked in down "He's not a threat. Hold your fire." Celadon said looking at Carmine who nodded, holstering his pistol. "Sorry, this who thing has got me fucked up a bit. I'm just on edge." Carmine said rubbing the back of his head, disappointed at himself for drawing on a civilian. "They left all the money again." A voice said in the distance, grabbing Ruby's attention as she walked toward the voice "What's up, little red?" Carmine asked following her with the group. "Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?" A detective said standing in front of a ransacked dust store, Carmine stepped forward "They left the money, but took all the dust?" Carmine asked the detective. "Yes sir, we think it might be the White Fang." The detective answered Carmine's question, he gritted his teeth at the answer "Torchwick." Carmine said angrily "Huh, you say something, sir?" The detective asked confused but Carmine walked away "Man, this whole Roman Torchwick thing is tearing him apart. I've never seen him this messed up about something like this." Celadon said, worried about his friend.

"Hmph! The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates!" Weiss said, crossing her arms in disgust "What's your problem?" Blake asked her, somewhat upset at her friend's statement. "My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss said stepping forward. "The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus." Blake responded stepping forward also, Weiss gasped at what she just heard "Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!" She said in retaliation.

Carmine walked back into the group "Actually Weiss, the White Fang soldiers are nothing more than subordinates, the real problem are the generals and leaders of the White Fang, some of them don't have a choice because they're doing it for their family. Some of the higher ups might threaten a Faunus's family in order to get them to act. Remember, I used to hunt the leaders down, I almost had Taurus but some girl in black stopped me. She gave me this" Carmine explained, lifting up his shirt to show a slash scar in his side.

Blake's eyes went large in realization of what Carmine had just said, she turned around and ran away. Carmine saw her and took off after her "Blake! Blake, where the fuck are you running to?" He yelled, he dug into his feet and started sprinting faster, passing her and skidding to a stop "Blake! What is wrong!?" He yelled, his eyes red as hellfire. She dropped to her knees in defeat "It was me. I stopped you from getting Adam Taurus." She said in a low voice, Carmine was taken back "What?" He asked, unsure if he heard her right.

"I stopped you on the train before you could get Adam, I'm the one who left that scar on you." She said, tears forming in her eyes. Carmine dropped to his knees to be face to face with her "Do you think I care about something that happened years ago? Besides, you and I were both different people back then and we've have both grown and changed as people. You worked with a psychopath and I killed people for Lien, but look at us now." He said, wiping away her tears.

She looked at him and smiled, hugging him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him "Now, I think we should get back to our friends." He said, helping her to her feet. She hugged him again "That is why I love you, Carmine." She said, holding him tight. He kissed her forehead, taking her hand and walking back to the group.

"So what was that all about?" Yang asked when Blake and Carmine got back to the group. Carmine laughed "Well, she realized that she was the one who stabbed me when I tried to kill Adam Taurus." He said laughing, the group looked at him horrified "She tried to kill you!?" Weiss shouted but Carmine waved her off "She was protecting her superior, besides I used to kill people for Lien. We weren't perfect but we changed over time. She saw the truth and I vowed to not take a life unless provoked or they were evil." He said looking at her with a straight face "If you say so, it's amazing how you can go from deadly serious to laughing something off." Weiss said shaking her head, Carmine grinned "Years of practice, snowflake." He said patting her on the head, she swatted at him for that. "So, where do you think stowaway ran off to?" Ruby asked, Yang pointed down the road "I think he went that way, lets go!" She shouted, the group ran in the direction she pointed to.

As they ran down the street, Carmine turned around and started running backwards "So, did anyone get a good look at this guy?" He asked, looking behind himself. "Yea, he had blonde hair, red gloves, and a tail." Laurel said to his leader. "Right, so what were gonna do is…" Carmine began to say but tripped when he bumped into someone. "Oh shit, who did I hit?" Carmine asked, picking himself up off the ground, there was a girl with orange hair and green eyes staring at him "Sal-u-ta-tions!" She said happily "Are you ok?" He asked her. "I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking." She replied still on the ground "Uh, don't you wanna get up?" Yang asked "Yes!" She replied before flipping to her feet.

"My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She said outstretching her hand, Carmine shook it. "I'm Carmine. The one in red is Ruby, Black bow is Blake, and Blondie is Yang." Carmine said, introducing himself and team RWBY, he walked over to his team "This is Laurel, Regalia, and this is my best friend and personal sniper, Celadon." He said, bumping fists with Celadon. "It is a pleasure to meet you all!" Penny said happily. "So what brings you to Vale?" Celadon asked curiously, "Oh, I'm here to fight in the tournament!" Penny replied, everyone looked surprised "Uh, I don't mean to be rude but you don't look like your ready to fight." Weiss said "Says the one wearing a dress." Blake retorted "Hey, it's a combat skirt!" Weiss replied, Ruby and Regalia joining with a unison "Yea!" "I'm Combat Ready!" Penny said to Weiss, "Anyway, have you seen a guy with blonde hair, a white open shirt, and red gloves?" Carmine asked Penny but she shook her head "No, sorry I haven't." She replied, he shook his head "Well, thanks anyway. We look forward to seeing you at the festival." He said, turning to leave. Ruby waved to Penny "Take care, friend!" She said, walking away. "Well, she was…. Weird." Yang said, walking next to Ruby. "What did you call me?" Penny asked, suddenly in front of the group.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!" Yang apologized for her comment. "Not you, Blondie. You." Penny said, pointing to Ruby. "Me? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh.." Ruby stumbled with her words but Penny cut her off "You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?" Penny asked, getting close to Ruby who started stammering "Uuuum, Carmine, Help." She pleaded to him "Sorry little red, you're on your own with this one. The team and I are gonna go look for the Faunus." Carmine said, taking off with his team. Ruby still stammered "Uhhh, yes." She answered. "Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Penny cheered but Ruby looked uncomfortable and looked to Weiss "Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?" She asked the ice queen who shook her head "No - she seems far more coordinated." Weiss replied.

Carmine and his team sprinted down the street "Laurel and Regalia, you two take the left side. Celadon and I will take the right side." He said to his team, they broke off and went their separate ways. Carmine rounded a corner sprinting and saw the Faunus. "You! Stop right there!" Carmine shouted running toward the blonde man, tackling him to the ground. "Get off dude, what is your problem!?" He shouted, Carmine pulled him to his feet "Why did you keep running, we were trying to talk to you." Carmine asked him letting him go. "I was trying to get away from the security guards. Why did you tackle me?" The Faunus asked Carmine who rubbed the back of his head "Yea, sorry about that. Force of habit, I used to be a mercenary. I'm Carmine, but some call me Titan." He said extending his hand to the Faunus. "Wait, Carmine as in Carmine Sable of Wolf Pack?! Dude, you're a legend in Vacuo! I'm Sun Wukong." Sun said shaking his hand excitedly "Everyone back in Vacuo talks about The Wolf Pack who took out leaders of the White Fang, until they were killed in battle. They say you walked out, leaving the camp on fire. Is that true?" Sun asked wide eyed, Carmine chuckled "More like rescued by Atlas soldiers and exfiled via airship." Carmine said laughing.

"Well, not as exciting but still awesome. Are you fighting in the tournament?" Sun asked Carmine as they walked back to his team "Yea, I just hope I don't go overboard and destroy the whole building." Carmine said making an imaginary explosion with his hands. "Hey guys, I found him!" Carmine said, calling to his team "This is Sun. Sun this is Regalia, Laurel, and this is my best friend and personal sniper, Celadon." Carmine said, bumping fists with Celadon again. "Apparently I'm a legend in Vacuo." Carmine told his team, but they weren't surprised. "Come on, we should find the others. It's getting late." Laurel said, gesturing toward the center of Vale. As they walked down the street, Carmine's scroll went off "Oh, it's a message from Blake. They went back to the dorms. Let's go back, Sun you coming?" Carmine asked him, he nodded in agreement.

After boarding an airship, they landed in Beacon and headed for the dorms. As they walked down the hall, they passed team RWBY's dorm and Carmine heard shouting "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake shouted, storming out of the dorm. Carmine caught her arm "Hey, come on you can stay with me." He said consoling her, she nodded and walked with him, her arms crossed.

Carmine opened the door and let her in, following her and closing the door. "Now, what was that all about?" He asked her, sitting her on his bed. "Weiss, she kept calling the White Fang trash and scum, but she's wrong. It's Adam who is leading them down a bad path, maybe I can change them." She said but Carmine shook his head "It will take a Faunus of great standing to change the soldiers' minds because right now they follow fear of their superiors. I know what might help, did you know Keppel was a Faunus?" Carmine asked her but everyone heard him "Wait, Keppel was a Faunus?!" Sun asked loudly.

Carmine chuckled "Yea, when he joined he wanted to be a sniper since he sould see at night. He had canine teeth. He killed the White Fang because he saw what they were doing as wrong and he wouldn't stand for it. He willingly killed his own kind because what they were doing was wrong, he saw us not a humans but as his brothers and that's how we saw him." Carmine informed the room of his old teammate's true identity. "Wow, but what are you getting at?" Blake asked him confused.

"Well if the legend of Wolf Pack has spread throughout Remnant then maybe if we tell small sectors of the White Fang the truth, then maybe it might change their minds. Or I could drop a Daisy Cutter on them, followed by a thousand pound JDAM." Carmine said laughing, Blake just shook her head giggling "I sometimes forget your extreme side, but it's a side I also love." She said kissing his cheek. "Guys, that's it! A human and a Faunus, together. Maybe your relationship can change them." Sun said clapping his hands together.

"Blake, meet Sun. Sorry I forgot to introduce you, bro." Carmine said, introducing the blonde monkey Faunus who waved to Blake. "Anyway, maybe if they see that a Faunus and a Human can love each other then maybe they can know that not all humans despise them." Sun said returning to his thought.

"Well, it's a long shot but hey, you never know." Laurel said chiming in. "Or I could strong-arm them into surrendering. Two C-137 Goliath's and four Daisy Cutters should be enough to get them to stand down. I'll call Ironwood in the morning to make a request. We'll try my tactic first, meet violence with potential annihilation." Carmine said, writing down the munitions he'll need.

After a long talk, Sun said his goodbyes and exited the dorm, returning to his room. Carmine laid back in his bed with his hand behind his head, Blake laid next to him, her arm across his chest. "I need to take out Torchwick before he mobilizes, I have a feeling he is directly connected to the White Fang." Carmine said to himself, Blake yawned "We'll get him, don't worry, babe." She said, resting her head on his chest. "Yea, and I'll make him pay for everything ten times over." He said, closing his eyes.

 **(A/N: Holy fuck that was a long ass chapter, I was originally gonna make this two chapters but I just started back to college so I won't have time in the future. Anyway, as always remember to Favorite, Follow and drop a Review so I know how you like it so far and what can be done better or changed. Also share with your friends. This is Nightmare 6-4, Signing off !)**


	7. Chapter 7: Retaliation

Chapter 7: Retaliation

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review.**

Thunder boomed in the dark sky, lightning illuminating the darkness around Beacon and Carmine's dorm room. Rain crashed into the window, the droplets falling down to the ground. Carmine laid in bed asleep, Blake's arm draped over his chest.

The room was startled awake by a loud knock at the door, Carmine climbed out of bed with his FiveSeven in his hand. He pressed the barrel to the door and opened it slowly, he was surprised to see Ozpin standing there.

"Ozpin? Is everything OK? What are you doing here?" Carmine asked Ozpin, confused. Ozpin took a sip from his mug "Sorry to wake you and Ms. Belladonna but I need to speak with you and your team, the matter is urgent. Meet me in my office when you're ready." Ozpin told Carmine, taking another sip and walking away.

"What was that all about?" Celadon asked, rubbing his face tiredly. "Ozpin wants to speak to us about an urgent matter, he didn't say what though but it probably has something to do with Torchwick or the White Fang, oh well let's not keep him waiting." Carmine said, answering him, popping his joints and getting dressed. Slipping on his shoes, Carmine stood in the mirror admiring himself "Damn, I look good." He said fixing his hat and shirt. Blake walked up behind him "Yes you do, you're the man I love." She said hugging him from behind, pressing her body into his back and getting his attention.

He spun himself around so he was facing her, she looked up into his crimson red eyes "Your eyes are so beautiful." She said, stroking his rugged face. He chuckled, putting his hand on hers "Your eyes are like two Topazes, just captivating and astonishing." He said, causing her to blush and smile "You know just what to say to make a girl smile, don't you." She said, kissing him on the lips. He pulled her into his embrace, returning her kiss with passion.

He broke the kiss and pulled away, she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. Her pupils were dilated, Carmine chuckled at this "Someone's excited, maybe later." He said winking and booping her nose with his finger, she blushed and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. When she pulled her face from his chest, she had tears in her eyes "If you go after Torchwick, please come back to me. I can't imagine living without you." Blake said with sadness and fear in her voice. Carmine sat her on the bed "Babe, I'm not going anywhere. I almost died because they caught me off guard but now we have the upper hand. Torchwick will either be arrested or he'll die by my hand, I'll see to it personally." Carmine told her, wiping away her tears. She smiled and hugged him again.

The rest of Team CRCL stood by the door "We're ready whenever you two lovebirds are ready." Laurel said, teasing the couple. Regalia slugged him the shoulder "Can't you see they're having a moment, Fucktard." She said to him, Carmine stood up with Blake holding his hand "Yep, we're ready to go." Carmine said, they left the dorm and headed for Ozpin's office. As they neared Ozpin's tower, the rain let up reducing itself to a sprinkle. They entered the tower and boarded the elevator, ascending to Ozpin's office quickly. The door opened with a ding, Team CRCL walked into his office. Gears and cogs overhead clicked as they turned.

"Alright, we're here. What's up?" Carmine asked walking up to Ozpin's desk. "It seems Roman Torchwick is prepping to move again. He was spotted at the docks in Vale, he was seen talking to this woman." Ozpin said placing a photo on the desk, pointing to a woman with black hair and a red dress.

Carmine examined the photo closer "I feel like I've her before, those heels look very familiar. My team and I will collect Torchwick and extract the information from him. If he resists, I'll use my methods and I oh so hope he resists." Carmine said cracking his knuckles but Ozpin stopped him "Do not kill him, Carmine. We need him alive and unharmed" He said, this caused Carmine to slam his fist onto the desk "Are you fucking serious!? This man is responsible for my team's death. Fine, I won't kill him but I will put him through the worst pain he'll ever experience." Carmine said, collecting his team and heading toward the door, Ozpin tried to stop him but Carmine had already made it to the elevator.

As they left the tower, Carmine pulled out his scroll and dialed a number. A voice came through the other end "Clearance code?" Carmine began to speak "1-Alpha-Niner-Omega-4-Gamma." His team looked at him confused until he began speaking again "Requisition order Delta-Foxtrot: Four DShK's, Three T-90's, Four Bullhead VTOLs with .50 BMG mounting, Six 9K35 Strela-10's, Three Centurion C-Rams, and Five M2 Bradley's. Destination: Beacon." Carmine said, Celadon was about to say something but stopped when Carmine continued speaking "Requisition order Alpha-Romeo-Bravo: Two C-137 Hercules, Four Daisy Cutters, Seven Thermobaric High Impact Bombs, Thirty TLAM Cruise Missiles, and One Minuteman III ICBM. Destination: Standby for confirmation." Carmine finished the call, hanging up and putting the scroll back into his pocket.

"Uh, so what was that about?" Laurel asked confused, Carmine turned to face them "I'm 99% sure the White Fang are planning an attack, I ordered munitions to protect Beacon from an attack: Tanks, SAMs, and mounted machine guns. They'll be delivered by Atlas, the other stuff is for a counter attack, once I get the location from Torchwick, once I have the coordinates of the stockpiles and White Fang outposts, I'll raze them to the ground. There won't be anything left of them, then we can work on bringing the White Fang back from beyond the edge of madness." He said turning to Blake "When we get to that point, I will kill Adam Taurus and any of his followers. You cannot show mercy or weakness." He told Blake before stepping back and beginning to shout into the darkness.

"Know I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers and sisters. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." Carmine said, raising his hands up. Team CRCL cheered behind him as he preached a gospel of war. Blake looked worried, Regalia noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder "Don't worry, he's doing this to protect you and everyone at Beacon, you have to understand that he has seen what the White Fang are capable of doing and wants to prevent that from happening again, even if it means killing members of the White Fang." Regalia reassured her, Blake nodded understanding her boyfriend's motives.

"Now, before we make any moves, I want to show y'all something. Follow me." Carmine said leading them to an airship that took them to Vale. Landing, Carmine led them toward the forest but took a right, leading them to door at the end of the street. Carmine put a key into the lock and unlocked the door, letting the group inside and closing the door. Standing in complete darkness, Carmine flipped a switch and brought the room back to life, the lights flickered on and illuminated the room and a wall with a flag hanging on it. The flag had a Beowolf head with a sword through it. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Wolf Pack HQ," Carmine said with his arms raised outwards.

"Holy Shit, dude! I can't believe I'm standing in Wolf Pack HQ!" Laurel and Celadon said in unison, excited. Carmine led them into the armory where there was a large table, eight boxes along the wall, and nine lockers. "Welcome to the Wolves Den, the boxes are filled with munitions and explosives, the lockers have assorted weapons: Shotguns, Assault Rifles, LMGs, Sniper Rifles, Handguns, and SMGs. Arm yourselves how you want." Carmine told his team during the tour, finally sitting down at the table.

Laurel walked up to the lockers, opening them and observing his weapon choices. He grabbed a strange looking gun with a drum "Hey Carmine, what's this?" Laurel shouted to Carmine who walked over to see what he was talking about. "Oh, that is the Armsel Striker, it holds twelve rounds of 12 gauge buckshot, flechette, frag, or slug rounds. It's a hell of a shotgun." Carmine said causing Laurel to grin as he loaded the reel with buckshot. Carmine reached into the locker and pulled out an Ithaca 37 and loaded seven rounds into it, cocking the pump slide and placing it on his lower back. He grabbed three boxes of 12 gauge ammo, placing them in a backpack along with 5.56, 7.62, .308, 9mm, and .45.

Carmine went to check on Regalia who was staring at the SMGs, he stepped up next to her "Tough Decision?" He asked her, she nodded "What do you suggest, I want something fast and reliable." Regalia said Carmine thought for a moment before reaching into the locker "I suggest these two, the UMP-45 and the Honey Badger because Honey Badger don't give a fuck. This takes .45 ACP and this takes 7.62 x 35mm. Attachments are below, make sure to grab extra boxes of ammo and magazines." Carmine told her, grabbing a Scorpion EVO 3, four mags, and a reflex sight. He loaded a mag and slapped it into the receiver, cocking the slide. He folded the stock and slipped it into his backpack.

Celadon was inspecting the sniper rifles, looking at the selection in awe. He picked a DSR-1, pulling back the slide before putting it back on the rack. Carmine spoke up "What are you looking for, speed or power?" He asked him, Celadon thought for a moment before speaking "Power. Definitely power." Carmine nodded before stepping in front of the rack "If you're looking for power, you want a .50 cal or a .338 Lapua magnum like the Beretta M99, AS50, or FN Ballista. But if you want speed then you want the M110 SASS, H&K PSG1, or RSASS they all run 7.62 x 51mm. I do have one that encompasses speed and power, follow me." Carmine told Celadon who followed him into a side room, he handed him a key.

They inserted them at the same time and turned it right, the door cracked open and Carmine opened the door to reveal a shelf and a single rifle. It was illuminated by lights on the roof, they approached the rifle "May I present to you, the Barrett M107 .50 BMG Sniper Rifle. An insanely strong rifle, if you choose this just know it kicks like a mule and if you're not careful, it will dislocate your shoulder so choose wisely." Carmine told him with a warning. Celadon grabbed the heavy rifle and lugged it onto his shoulder and removed the clip, loading the heavy rounds into the mag and placing it back into the receiver, pulling back the slide and chambering a round. "Take care of it please, it was Keppel's rifle." Carmine said, pointing to the engraving on the side the rifle that read "K-4". Celadon nodded, taking on the mantle of responsibility.

Carmine walked out of the room and went to the table, opening his bag and checking the contents. He noticed his bedroom door was open, he went to inspect and found Blake admiring the medals and doctrines on the wall. He walked in and crept up on her, placing his hands on her shoulders, startling her. She jumped at the sudden contact, she turned around and playfully smacked in the arm "You're such an ass sometimes." She said giggling, he wrapped his arms around her "So what were you reading? All my heroics." Carmine said with a shit eating grin. "I was reading all the missions you completed, I found a box marked trophies in the corner but it's locked. What's in it?" She asked curiously but Carmine looked away. "It's from my past, every time I took out someone of High Command, I would take something as a trophy. I'll show you if you want." He told her, his face getting serious. She nodded slowly, he picked it up and sat it on the bed, unlocking it. He lifted the lid, revealing a tattered White Fang flag, he moved the flag and let Blake go through it.

He sat down on the bed, laying back on his bed as she dug through the box. She pulled out a bayonet and held it out over Carmine "Who'd you get this from?" She asked, Carmine studied the blade for a moment "My first job, White Fang Captain had slaughtered four families just for being human, women and children included. Got paid damn near a million lien to bring him in, which I did. After I got paid, I took his blade and decapitated him. The guards turned their weapons on me but the leader told them to stand down." He said recalling that day.

She put it back in the box and pulled out an A2000, presenting it to Carmine. "That is actually an interesting one. I was hunting down a squad of executioners who were killing entire villages, I got to them just as they started to engage the next village. We took most of them down but I couldn't get to her in time. By the time I reached her, she had killed a boy who was protecting his little sister. I hit her in the face and forced her to swallow a hand grenade. I took said SMG, the clip is still the same." He told her in detail. She shuddered at the description, replacing the SMG back in the box and closed the lid.

"I think I've dug enough into your past for one day." She said crawling on top of Carmine, straddling his waist and placing her hands on his chest. "Damn Blake, just going right for it. At least let me lock the door first." Carmine said, teasing her and making her blush. "Wooo, get it, Carmine!" Laurel shouted from the doorway, Regalia grabbed him by his shirt and threw him across the room "Do you not know anything about privacy?!" She yelled. Blake was as red as a stop sign but relaxed when Carmine placed his hand on her chin "Hey, it's OK, couples do this all the time." He said, pulling her into his embrace and kissing her. She placed her hands under his shirt, feeling his chest.

"Well, someone's getting handsy. I'm serious about the door like it has three deadbolts." He said, causing her to giggle "Not yet, oh Slayer of Women and Grimm." She said, quoting him from their previous fight. He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her close to him. He slid a hand up underneath her shirt, surprising her as they kissed. She didn't fight him, his hand inching closer to her bra but he stopped and removed his hand. She looked at him confused but he placed a finger over her lips "Shhh" He shushed her as he placed her on the bed, climbing out of bed and creeping toward the window. He drew his pistol as he placed his back against the wall, he motioned to Blake to ready her pistol. She nodded drew her P226, racking the slide and inserting a clip, chambering a round.

Carmine neared the window and watched a shadow dart away, he pushed open the window and leaped out, pursuing the spy. He gave chase, sprinting down the alley. The figure turned the corner, knocking over some trash cans. Carmine turned the corner and jumped over them, catching up to the figure. They were wearing a black robe with a hood, Carmine leaped and tackled the person, turning them over and pointing his pistol at them. It was a girl, she had tan skin, green hair, and red eyes.

"Why were you spying on me?!" He demanded, "Who do you work for?!" He shouted again "Get off me! I don't know who you are, please don't kill me." She pleaded. He holstered his pistol and placed his hand over her mouth and nose, she tried to fight but found the lack of oxygen making it difficult "Shhh, it's OK you're just going to take a little nap. It's just a bad dream." Carmine said as she faded into unconsciousness. With her finally knocked out, he brought her back to the HQ.

"What the hell, Carmine!" Laurel shouted at Carmine who carried in an unconscious woman. "She was spying on Blake and me. We need to interrogate her." He said taking her into yet another room, this one had a chair in the middle with armrests on either side. Celadon helped him place her into the chair, he strapped her legs in place as Carmine strapped her arms in place. As they finished they bumped fists, Carmine wheeled over a cart that had multiple drawers on it along with something covering the top. He wheeled over a smaller cart, he attached jumper cables to the chair and wheeled the cart away from the chair.

Carmine patted her pocket, pulling out her wallet. He removed her guns from her back and placed them on the cart. He called everyone into the room, they entered the interrogation room and Celadon closed the door behind him. "Well, you guys get to learn how to extract information from someone. First step: Intimidation. Always make sure there is blood on the floor, so it will appear you have done this before." Carmine said, pointing to the blood covered floor. "Regalia, while we do this your name will be Omega, Celadon is Theta, Laurel is Gamma, and Blake is Charlie, and I am Alpha. Got it? Good. Omega, slap her awake, but first put this on" He said to Regalia, handing her a face cover, she put it on and walked over to the girl and slapped her across the face.

Carmine gave everyone a face cover as the girl regained consciousness "What? Where am I? Mercury? This isn't funny." She cried out but there was no answer, Carmine stepped out "I'm afraid Mercury won't be doing much of anything anymore. He's indisposed. So tell me, who are you and who do you work for?" Carmine asked her getting close to her face but she just spat at him, he dodged her saliva. Carmine sighed "Did you know it takes 10 amps of electricity to send someone into Cardiac Arrest. Let's experiment, shall we?" Carmine asked her sadistically, wheeling over a cart with wires. He turned a knob and the girl started to grunt in pain. "You tell me your name and who you work for, and it will be over." He told her, "Fuck you," she said through her grunts of agony. "Gamma, increase by twenty volts," Carmine said, Laurel nodded turning the dial.

"You see Emerald I already know your name, I was just hoping you would cooperate with me. So, Ms. Sustrai. Who do you work for? You best answer before I start removing body parts" Carmine told her, getting close to her face with a Weaver knife, lowering it to her hand. "No! Stop! Roman! Roman Torchwick!" Emerald yelled, fearing to lose her hand. Carmine backed up and turned the generator off. "You work for Roman Torchwick? Who else?" He demanded, putting the blade to her neck. She hesitated, not answering Carmine. He withdrew his knife and turned the voltage back on, sending the electricity coursing through her body.

Her muscles contracted causing her to scream in agony, her face contorted in pain "Alpha, stop this!" Blake shouted at Carmine but he waved her off "This is how you get information, Charlie." He said approaching Emerald "Who else do you work for?!" Carmine shouted at her, turning off the voltage. She dropped her head in relief "Cinder. Fall." She said, panting. "Gamma, get info on one Cinder Fall and who her allies are." Carmine ordered, pulling out a bottle and a rag. "This is chloroform, you're gonna take a nice long nap. If I were you, I'd leave while I still can. If you go back to them, you will be annihilated." Carmine warned her, putting the rag to her face. She slipped into unconsciousness again, Carmine and Celadon undid the restraints. "Drop her off near a hospital and come back undetected." He told Regalia who lugged Emerald's body over her shoulder.

"Everyone else load up, we move at 1900 hours. I will have Roman on his knees tonight." Carmine ordered, punching his fists together. Everyone stepped out into the back and called their lockers to them, the dug into the ground, cracking the earth. Carmine moved his gear into Wolf Pack HQ, laying them on his bed. Blake sat on his bed, shocked at what she had just watched, Carmine sat next to her and put his arm around her "I'm sorry you had to see that, I was honestly hoping she would cooperate but she didn't. I gave her options." He said she nodded "Yeah, I just never seen anything like that before." Blake said placing her head on his shoulder.

"Now when I get the coordinates, I'll order a TLAM to our location. We'll have five minutes to escape before it impacts. So you will have to run fast." He told her, she nodded her head understanding the circumstances of what is to come. Celadon knocked on the wall "Hey, we're ready to head back when you're ready." He said. Regalia and Laurel stood near the table, holding their weapons.

Carmine stood with Blake and they exited his room, he locked the door behind him and walked toward the table. "Alright, the game plan is we mobilize at around 1600 hours, by then I'll have set up the Beacon defenses that Atlas is delivering. After that, we come back here and load up to strike the docks where we apprehend Roman for Ozpin. I'll need to access the dock's PA system to send out a message, maybe turn some of the White Fang against them." Carmine announced, Blake perked up at the last part "Y…You mean it?" She asked unsurely, Carmine just smiled "Yeah, why not try. My beef is with Roman, not the Fang." He said clarifying his statement, Blake smiled happily.

"Alright, let's go set up Beacon" Carmine said grabbing the backpack and leading them out of the HQ, locking the door behind him. Carmine led the group to the docks to board an airship back to Beacon. As they stepped off the ship into Beacon, CH-47 Chinooks flew over carrying tanks and APCs. Four Bullhead Ospreys flew over, landing on the side of the school.

"Alright set the Strela-10s around the campus, one for every sector and there are six sectors. Move the C-Rams to cover the three main faces of attack, they should have plenty of room to fire freely. Set the Bradley's up in the courtyard, three stationary and three patrolling. Mount the DShKs up so there is one facing each direction: North, South, East, and West. T-90s are also on patrol, and have the Osprey's ready for evacuation or aerial assault." Carmine directed the Atlas soldiers, they moved the weaponry into place and readied them for an attack. Team CRCL stood there in amazement "Wow that is a lot of firepower. I think we'll be ready for a White Fang attack." Laurel said inspecting the munitions.

Carmine chuckled "This is nothing, until I get a solid answer on their striking force this will have to suffice." He said, General Ironwood approached Carmine, startling him "Oh General, it is good to see you, sir." Carmine said, saluting the general. "At ease, I hope this meets your request. At first, I didn't understand your request but then I saw a report from Ozpin about an impending attack. Is there anything else you need?" Ironwood asked Carmine.

"Actually yes, eight TOS-1s, four BM-30 SMERCHs, and four 9k720 ISKANDERs. We'll need them in case Grimm attack. It's a lot of firepower." Carmine said, writing a list. "A lot of firepower? You are practically set up for Armageddon." Ironwood said with sarcasm in his voice but submitted the requisition order. "I ordered a few Humvees with mounted .50 BMGs for quick assault. Oh, here comes my forces." Ironwood said as huge gunships flew into the Beacon airspace, Carmine picked up a nearby comma handset "This is Titan, prepare testing of Strela-10 AA locking systems. Lock target now." Carmine said through the handset, he watched as the SAM sites locked onto their targets. "Sir, all SAMs are good to go." A voice said through the handset. The SAM sites disengaged their targeting systems.

As Carmine and Ironwood observed the current operation unfolding before them, a Bradley patrolled the grounds of Beacon behind them. Carmine turned to Ironwood "We'll need troops on the ground, like maybe six hundred soldiers." He said, Ironwood nodded "I already had that planned out, but I only ordered two hundred" Ironwood said, pointing to the north as six Ospreys and a UH-60 Blackhawk flew in, landing in the courtyard. The backs opened and soldiers ran out, getting into formation. They all saluted Carmine and Ironwood, who saluted back to them.

"Alright gentlemen, split up into twenty squads of ten and begin to patrol Beacon. If you see anything suspicious remember to radio in. There are Humvees on the way to use for patrol. Dismissed." Carmine said, giving his orders. The two hundred split up and started to patrol the grounds. Carmine turned to Ironwood "I trust the other munitions are on standby for my order." Ironwood nodded his head "Yes sir, just radio in and it'll be done." He said to Carmine who just shook his head. Carmine looked at the horizon, seeing the sun going down. He waved to his team "It's time to move, Ironwood I need those TOS-1s set up ASAP." Carmine said joining his team, Ironwood nodded in understanding.

Team CRCL and Blake landed in Vale, immediately going back to Wolf Pack HQ. Carmine unlocked the door and ran to his room, unlocking it and throwing on his gear. Fixing his Heavy IBA, he slipped his KA-Bar into its sheath and put some grenades into the pouch on his side. He walked to a drawer underneath a flag on the wall, he opened it and revealed five dogtags and five KA-Bars. He pulled out all five and placed them in his backpack, he equipped the dogtags to himself. "I will avenge you all tonight, or I will die trying." Carmine said clenching his fists.

He pulled on the backpack and put his rifle on his back, his MP7 in its side holster. Carmine secured the Ithaca 37 to his lower back. He walked out of his room, everyone stared at him. "Holy Hell, you look like the tactical Grim Reaper." Laurel said, looking excited to see his leader decked out in tactical gear. "Everyone got their weapons and gear?" Carmine asked walking over to the table, placing his rifle on the table and loading a clip, slapping it into the receiver and pulling back the slide. Everyone readied their weapons: Laurel's Striker, Regalia's UMP-45 and Honey Badger, and Celadon's M107. Carmine picked up a crate from the wall and placed it on the table, removing the lid.

Inside the crate was bricks of C-4 and detonators "Everyone take a few bricks and a detonator, we'll have to destroy their supplies. I would order a surgical strike but the impact might hit Vale." Everyone grabbed five bricks and placed them in their pack, they walked outside and Carmine locked the door behind him, when he turned around there was a Humvee waiting for them. The driver shouted to them "Ironwood sent this for you, climb on in." The driver called to them. Laurel, Celadon, Regalia, and Blake climbed into the cab while Carmine manned the mounted .50 BMG, pulling back the slide and chambering a large round.

He hit the roof telling the driver to go, the Humvee took off down the road, hooking a left and barreling down another street. As they neared the docks, the Humvee slowed to a stop and the driver asked what the game plan was, Carmine pulled a small device with rotors and blades "This is my mini UAV, I'll use it to scout ahead." He said, releasing the drone and flying it toward the docks. As it flew over the warehouse, Carmine could see White Fang soldiers patrolling the shipping crates and around the warehouse. There were guard towers with snipers and multiple turret emplacements. Just then two bullheads flew in and landed on the docks, soldiers left and went into the warehouse. Carmine brought the drone back and shut it off.

"There is quite a lot of soldiers, they got snipers and MG Nests, not to mention two VTOLs just landed. If we're gonna do this, we strike now." Carmine said, slapping the roof. The tires squealed as the Humvee took off, smashing through the locked gate. Carmine fired the heavy mg, tearing through the soldiers and snipers. The bullets tore through their bodies, spraying blood and flesh on to the ground. He focused fire into the MG Nests, destroying the turret operators. The Humvee flew through the dock, hitting a WF Soldier, sending him flying through the air. The foot soldier hit the ground, his body mangled and oozing blood. He tried to pull himself to safety but was ripped apart by Carmine's 50 BMG.

Carmine focused fire on the VTOLs, the bullets ripped through the fuselage and engine. The VTOLs started bleeding fuel and caught fire, exploding into a ball of fire and shrapnel. As the Humvee drove, Carmine noticed a flash on the ridge but before he could say anything, a sniper round cracked and killed the driver. The Humvee whipped left into a wall, the team crawled out as Carmine dumped fire at the ridge from where the shot originated from. The bullets tore into the side of the hill, eventually ripping apart the sniper and painting the hill in blood and chunks of flesh.

The mounted MG clicked dry, the ammo having been depleted. Carmine leaped out and readied his rifle. They ran toward the warehouse, Celadon took up a position to cover their advance. He popped off a round and took out one of the guards, the round ripping him apart.

Another round tore through another guards head, spraying blood and brain matter all over the wall. The team posted up against the wall, Carmine placed a charge on the door and took cover, blowing the charge. The explosion ripped through the metal door, blowing it apart and killing a guard on the inside. The team stormed the building, eliminating guard after guard; Carmine unloaded into four soldiers, the .308 tearing through their bodies like butter, they fell to the floor lifeless in a pool of blood.

Laurel took a right and opened fire on three soldiers, the buckshot opening up their chest cavities and disemboweling one of them. The spent shells clanged against the blood splattered floor, Laurel regrouped with Carmine. Regalia stormed left and encountered four soldiers, she dropped two of them with her UMP-45. She aimed at the other two and demanded they drop their weapons, they complied terrified. She knocked them to their knees and zip tied their arms behind their back.

Blake sprinted through, jumping from container to container. She leaped down and caught two soldiers by surprise, knocking them unconscious and handcuffing them. She ran through the stacks of containers, weaving in and out taking more soldiers by surprise, subduing them without taking their life. She drew her P226 and crept through a stack of boxes, finding an office. She snuck into the dark room, locking the door behind her and searching the office.

Meanwhile Carmine was setting charges on the crates in the corner, he radioed into his team "Five charges set in the left sector." He said, running across the room. "Right sector armed" Laurel said through the headset. Carmine ran toward towers of shipping containers, he crept through with his SCAR drawn. He neared an office and tried to open the door but it was locked. He tried to force the door open with his shoulder, he rammed it but bounced off. He stepped back and got a running start, jumping and throwing both feet into the door, ripping it off the hinges.

Blake pointed her gun at the figure who just kicked down the door, Carmine pointed his shotgun at the figure in the corner. He flipped a switch and saw he had his sights on Blakes' head, his heart dropped at the thought of what had almost happened. He holstered his gun and stood up, Blake holstered her pistol and ran to him, wrapping herself around him. He held her tight, enjoying the embrace that they had for the moment, until the sound of gunshots brought them back to reality "Right, we need to find any info we can." He said, letting her go.

Carmine walked up to a desk, observing the maps on the wall. He opened a drawer and pulled out a file, he placed it on the desk and started going through it. It had dust delivery schedules, train routes, Atlas cargo manifests, and what he was looking for, White Fang camp locations. He collected the files and placed them into his pack, he grabbed the rest of the files and put them into the pack as well. Carmine the rest of the desk and office, finding flash drives and hard drives. He collected everything he found and put it all away into his backpack, he pulled out a brick of C-4 and stuck it under the desk, arming it.

He took Blake by the hand and led her out of the office, running back toward the middle of the warehouse but Carmine skidded to a stop. "ROMAN!" Carmine yelled out, his voice loud and dark sounding with a booming echo. Carmine sprinted toward Roman, tackling him to the ground and beating the shit out of him. Laurel pulled Carmine off of him, Regalia put Roman in handcuffs, knocking him to his knees. Carmine fought to break free but it was no use, "Sir, we were given specific orders to bring him into custody. I've radioed for Atlas troops to come take him from us." She said, trying to calm down her leader.

Carmine stopped fighting and hung his head defeated, two Atlas soldiers walked into the warehouse and took hold of Torchwick who just grinned ear to ear at Carmine. Carmine glared back at him, but then got the attention of one of the soldiers.

"When you deliver him to Ozpin and Ozpin is finished with him, radio me and we'll come pick him up, he has to deal with me personally. Until then, we'll search for Neo." Carmine told the soldiers who nodded in agreement and continued to walk out with Torchwick. Carmine noticed that one of the soldiers had shaggy silver hair "Strange, I didn't know Ironwood got rid of the hair length policy. But I know for a fact that he didn't so who the hell are you?!" Carmine asked yelling, raising his gun. The soldiers dropped Torchwick and ran at Carmine, one kicked a silver substance at him but he dodged it.

"Regalia, collect Torchwick and get him back to HQ, put him in the room and wait for me. I just need to wipe the floor with this little bitch." Carmine yelled to Regalia who took off toward Torchwick but the other soldier stepped in front of her. There was a loud pop in the distance as the soldiers head got ripped off, spraying blood and flesh everywhere. Celadon's scope flashed in the distance, Regalia gave him a two finger salute, collecting Torchwick and running out of the Warehouse. She got into a nearby truck and took off back to Vale.

Back inside the Warehouse, Carmine was fighting the rogue Atlas soldier, matching him hit for hit. Carmine through a right hook and knocked off his helmet, revealing a man with long silver hair and a sharp complexion. "So, you mind telling me who the hell you are?" Carmine asked, bowing up. "Mercury, the man who is gonna kill you." He said, kicking more shots at Carmine but he dodged them, landing a roundhouse and sending Mercury into the ground. "Mercury huh, your girlfriend was calling for you. She was screaming for you as I electrocuted her. Poor Emerald, if only she was on our side." Carmine said, antagonizing Mercury.

"You son of a bitch!" Mercury screamed, charging at Carmine. Carmine drew his leg up and brought it down on to the back of Mercury's head, knocking him down to the ground. Carmine put his boot on Mercury's back, pushing down causing him grunt in pain. Carmine stepped back and let him get up "Hey, I like a nice fight." Carmine said to Mercury who wiped blood away from his mouth. Mercury fired a shot at Carmine who dodged it "Wow you suck at aiming." Carmine said laughing but Mercury grinned "I wasn't aiming for you." He said pointing.

Carmine turned around to see Blake on the ground, holding her stomach. Carmine's eyes ignited hellfire red as he charged a supernova charge in his fist. He turned around to punch Mercury but he was gone, in a fit of rage Carmine slammed his fist into the ground, blowing a huge hole in the concrete. "God Damnit!" He yelled running to Blake to check on her, he slid on his knees to a stop "Blake! Blake, talk to me!" Carmine shouted, Blake slowly opened her eyes. "Hey you." She said weakly, reaching her hand up to his covered face. Laurel was on the radio calling for evac "Sir, exfil eta Five Minutes." Laurel said, raising his gun to cover them.

"Blake, keep pressure on the wound. Come on, I can't lose you too!" Carmine yelled, reaching into his bag and pulling out a large cloth, he applied it to the wound to try and stop the bleeding. The white cloth quickly became blood red, tears formed in Carmine's eyes as he worked to save his girlfriend. Just then real Atlas soldiers ran in, they had a stretcher and lifted Blake on to it, running her out to an awaiting Osprey. They boarded and flew toward Beacon, leaving Team CRCL standing amongst the bodies and destruction.

"Whelp, now I got someone else to kill. Maybe I can get Nora to break his legs." Carmine said with nervous laughter. Laurel put his hand on Carmine's shoulder "She'll be alright, sir. She's a strong girl I know that for sure. If it helps, she's madly in love with you and falls deeper in love every day she's with you. She thinks you're the best thing to ever happen in her life." Laurel told Carmine, Carmine looked down and took off his mask, tears rolling down his face. Celadon walked up holding his M107, pulling back the slide and ejecting a spent shell.

"I got a tracker onto his Osprey, he's headed toward Vacuo." Celadon said looking at his scroll, Carmine shook his head in acknowledgment. Carmine, Celadon, and Laurel searched for a vehicle to leave in, eventually finding a box truck. As they were driving away, Carmine stopped and backed into the warehouse. "Sir, what are we doing?" Laurel asked confused, Carmine pointed to the stacks of crates "Fill the truck up, we'll level the rest." Carmine said picking up a crate of Dust, Laurel laughed completely on board with that plan.

Crate after crate was loaded into the back of the truck, Carmine went to check the shipping containers. As he neared them, he noticed the Atlas symbol on the side. He opened the door to reveal crates of weapons: RPGs, 40mm Grenade Launchers, Javelins, Stingers, and other explosive weaponry. "Good God! This is enough explosives to wipe out Vale and then some." Carmine exclaimed, Laurel came to check it out. "We got about twenty crates of Dust and still have plenty of room, I'll back the truck up." Laurel said running to the truck, backing it up to the container. They loaded the entire container's contents into the truck, closing the back.

"Get this to the HQ, I'll radio Atlas with my find. It'd be best for them to take control of this dock rather than leveling the whole thing." Laurel nodded, driving the truck out of the warehouse and leaving the dock. Fifteen minutes later, multiple Blackhawks flew in and landed. Ironwood himself approached Carmine "Mr. Sable, great job on the find. We'll be sure to get this back to Atlas and some of the weapons to Beacon and other academies. We'll also disarm the C-4 charges so don't worry." Ironwood said commending Carmine and Celadon. "Can we get a truck so we can get back to the HQ?" Celadon asked to which Ironwood nodded, leading them to a transport vehicle.

Carmine and Celadon departed for Wolf Pack HQ, he pulled out his scroll and called the infirmary. "What is the status of Blake Belladonna?" Carmine asked the nurse on the other end. "She is stable, she has a little bit of mercury poisoning but it should go away with zero last effects. I assume this is Carmine, it's a good thing you attempted to stop the bleeding, had you not she would have bled out before we could do anything." The nurse told Carmine who was smiling. "One thing doesn't make sense, why didn't her aura protect her? It's as if that shot negated her aura." Carmine said, there was a pause on the other end. "We found a glass arrow in her side, we can only assume that she was hit with the arrow at the same time as the mercury shot." The nurse explained, Carmine thanked them and hung up his scroll. "Apparently there was a sniper with a bow, they found a glass arrow in her side." Carmine told Celadon as they drove back to the HQ.

"I didn't see anybody sneaking around, I was scanning everywhere. Did we ever get the known associates of Torchwick?" Celadon asked, thinking that this was one of his associates. "Not yet, I haven't had a chance to read the dossier that Laurel got for me. Look alive, we're here." Carmine said pulling up in front of the building. They got out of the truck and went around back where Laurel had pulled the truck up to the loading bay. "You have a loading bay!?" Celadon asked surprised, Laurel and Carmine laughed. "Oh course there's a loading bay, this used to be a small warehouse." Laurel said pointing to a faded sign on the wall, it was barely readable but the word warehouse could be made out.

"I'm almost done unloading everything, twenty crates of dust and twenty crates of weapons and explosives." Laurel said closing the back of the truck. "What should we do with this truck?" Celadon asked, Carmine thought for a moment. "Why not just keep it, I mean the docks are under Atlas control now so I doubt anyone will be looking for this. We just need to put a new name on it, like Sable Enterprise or The Wolves Den." Carmine said, illustrating his idea with his hands.

Carmine walked into the HQ with Celadon and Laurel in tow, they went to the interrogation room where Roman was strapped into the chair. Regalia stood there with her arms crossed looking down, Roman looked up "Well, if it isn't the thorn in my side. What other operation have you come to dismantle?" He asked sarcastically but Carmine didn't acknowledge him at all, instead he back handed him across the face. "You are going to name every one of your known associates or I will turn your life into a living nightmare." Carmine said wheeling over a cart, uncovering the top of it revealing multiple knives, needles, blades, forceps, and other instruments of pain. Carmine wheeled over another cart, this one had a box with a screen on it.

"Get his shirt off." Carmine said turning the screen on, Laurel and Celadon ripped his shirt off. "Thanks guys, can you be gentle with that shirt, it's my favorite." Roman said grinning. Celadon looked at the shirt for a moment before setting it on fire. Carmine attached sensors to Romans' chest and a heart monitor to his finger. "This is so you don't go into cardiac arrest, we'd hate to lose you while having fun" Carmine said patting him on the face. Carmine rolled up yet another cart, taking the cover off revealing a stereo and speakers. "Gotta listen to something to drown out your screams and pleas for mercy" Carmine said with a twisted smile on his face. He plugged in his scroll and pressed play.

 **(Let's Go – Busta Rhymes) Also, this is gonna get dark so WARNING**

 **Before I Take another minute just to give everybody a movie They never seen Imma hit 'em with another elbow. Let me get up everybody, on your mark, so ya ready? Let's go! WOW! OK, here we go again you see the way I'm blowing and I'm like a mangala the way I be mangalin the beat. They call me DRACULA then you see the FANGS going in, WOW!** Carmine mouthed the words as he walked to the cart of tools, picking up a long needle. He wiped the needle on a microfiber cloth and replaced them back onto the tray. **I already spit it to the rhythm of the piano so now I gotta give the drummer some. Put the T up on the track will be phenomenal cause when it comes to having a hit Imma have another one.** Carmine walked toward Roman who looked visibly shaken. **Even if you ain't ready yet, all I gotta say is ready set, (let's go)** Mouthing the words, Carmine pushed the needle into his finger, the metal riding the bone, Roman screamed in agony but Laurel put a gag over his mouth, muffling his screams.

 **Drive by, hit you with the two piece combo while I'm hanging out the window of your Daddy's Lambo. Scrambled eggs, I got scrambled ammo, leave you on top of the water like a banana boat. Yea I'm an animal, everybody's edible and Yelawolf is headed for your arm and hand and your head, I'm a cannibal.** **Good heavens the man's hopping over the fence like a fucking antelope.** Carmine mouthed the words again, matching it word for word as he inserted another needle into another finger, blood dripping on to the floor.

 **So, send him to me in a minute when you finished and I'll put him in a vice grip. I'll put an end to the image and I'll send it in the, via independent fucking with the mic grill. I might split pull the trigger back in a submarine with sub machine loaded, in an ocean, High deep, deep enough to leave a submarine imploded. Promenade motherfucker vámanos, it's me and I'm sick of the prognosis, Got more bars than Barney Fife and I put you behind them and I'm like "Howdy Opie."** Carmine watched his vitals on the monitor, his heart rate was elevated but not life threatening. "You can end this right now, just name your associates." Carmine told Roman who just tried to laugh but his laugh was muffled. Carmine shrugged as he walked to his scroll to change the song.

 **(Murmaider – Dethklok)**

The next song started to play, heavy guitar riffs came through the speakers, echoing off the walls. **If you seek vengeance all you need are instruments of pain. You need your: Knives? Check. Rope? Check. Dagger? Check. Chains? Check. Rocks? Check. Laser beams? Check. Acid? Check. Body bag? Check.** As the song went on, Carmine pulled out syringes, bottles, and knives. Carmine walked back over to Roman and pulled the needles out, placing them in a bowl of alcohol, the blood streamed off the steel needles as they sank to the bottom of the metal bowl. He grabbed one of his fingers and dislocated it, Roman muffled screamed in pain. A tear ran down his cheek, Carmine noticed "Aww, is someone crying? Little bitch." He said, slapping him. "You can end this, just name your associates." Laurel said with his hands on Romans shoulder, Roman looked away in disgust. Carmine dislocated another finger.

 **Hold your breath, swim and strain, smell the death, can't escape Blood will cloud, drift away Attract the murders of Murmaids It's so cold, they all know What you've done, you can't run Vengeance is the law for thee, A thousand leagues below the sea. You've been tracked, you've been seen, murdering the next of kin. Ate their hearts, drank their blood. Washed your fins in blackened mud, Now you swim, try to hide Heart beats faster from inside. Thought it was a big charade, your life was ended by Murmaids.**

Carmine sang along while dislocating and relocating fingers. He stopped and relocated all of his fingers, he grabbed a syringe and a bottle, drawing strange liquid from the bottle. He injected it into Torchwicks arm, getting at eye level. "Have fun!" Carmine said waving at Roman as if saying bye. Celadon walked up "What did you inject into him?" He asked. Carmine handed him the bottle which he read out loud "Lysergic acid diethylamide. Fucking LSD!?" Celadon asked in disbelief, Carmine just nodded. "Now, here is where we have fun with it. Audio can change what LSD will show him." Carmine said grabbing his scroll and switching the song.

 **(Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold)**

 **Dragged ya down below Down to the devil's show To be his guest forever (Peace of mind is less than never) Hate to twist your mind But God ain't on your side And old acquaintance severed (Burn the world your last endeavor) Flesh is burning You can smell it in the air Cause men like you have Such an easy soul to steal So stand in line while they ink numbers in your head. You're now a slave Until the end of time here. Nothing stops the madness, Turning, haunting, yearning Pull the trigger!**

 ***** Roman's experience*

Laurel ungagged Roman, his pupils dilated as the LSD took effect. The room melted away and he was sent into an endless pit of darkness, the smell of burning bodies filled his nose. He hit the ground and was standing in front of the devil, who ripped his skin from his body. Roman started screaming in agony as demons started stabbing him and ripping the meat from his body. He closed his eyes to escape the hell he was in.

 **Can't wake up in sweat 'Cause it ain't over yet, Still dancing with your demons (Victim of your own creation), Beyond the will to fight Where all that's wrong is right Where hate don't need a reason (Loathing self-assassination). You've been lied to just to rape you of your sight, and now they have the nerve to tell you how to feel. So sedated as they medicate your brain and while you slowly go insane they tell ya "Given with the best intentions, help you with your complications.**

He opened his eyes to find himself lying in a hospital, there were bodies hanging from the roof, their faces rotted away. He tried to run but felt himself being pulled into an eternal abyss, the faces of the people he has killed ripping the skin from his body. Suddenly he was drowning in a lake of fire, the fire filling his lungs and burning him from the inside out but he wouldn't die.

Team CRCL watched as Roman was put through psychological hell, he was screaming out in agony and begging for mercy, apologizing for killing them. "Now, we increase the hell through touch sensation. Observe." Carmine said taking a bunch of small needles and inserting them all over Roman's body.

*Roman's experience*

He was face down on a cold floor but was lifted up by meat hooks that were dug into his arms and chest. He looked around but only saw half torsos on other hooks, some missing their heads and arms, the hooks started to pull his arms in different directions. Suddenly he felt a thousand swords enter his body, the excruciating pain causing him to scream in agony, the feeling of the blades twisting in his body. He screamed out "I'll talk! I'll talk!" He screamed out.

Carmine watched as he screamed, grabbing another syringe and bottle. He injected the liquid, ending Roman's nightmare, Carmine pulled up a chair and a table with a notepad and pen. He sat down in front of Roman and watched as he came back to reality.

"Ready to name those associates?" Carmine asked him, Roman shook his head "Yes, anything you want just please don't make me go through that again, please." Roman begged, Carmine clicked his pen ready to write.

"Alright there's Adam Taurus, Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black, Neopolitan, Sienna Khan, and someone named Salem. She seems to be the one in charge of this whole operation, I've never met her in person and from what I overheard Cinder say, you can include Arthur Watts, Tyrian Callows, and Hazel Rainart, I've never met them before either but apparently they're high ranking or something. I remember hearing Cinder saying something about infiltrating Beacon, so you might want to start there." Roman explained, listing all known associates.

"Anything else I should know?" Carmine asked, Roman shook his head "That is everything I know, except for some unknown leaders like some big guy with a chainsaw." Roman said. Carmine wrote that down, putting a question mark next to it. "Alright, now we're going to turn you over to Ozpin. Regalia, heal him up, please." Carmine asked her, she nodded and projected her aura, sealing the wounds on his body. Laurel unshackled him, handcuffing him and putting a bag over his head. They led him out of the room and outside to the awaiting Humvee, putting him in the back of it.

Carmine got in the driver's seat, Laurel and Regalia got in the back on either side of Roman, Celadon sat in the front. They drove to the docks, as they drove a thought occurred to Celadon "Roman, why were you and the fang stealing all that dust?" Celadon asked, Roman chuckled "Well, you know Dust is extremely volatile? Well, imagine a canister filled with unstable dust crystals being dropped in an area of Vale, the destruction would be massive. Also, they wanted it to use against the humans and stuff. Carmine, I know we're enemies but if you intend on going after them, be extremely careful. Adam Taurus and Cinder Fall are ruthless." He warned Carmine who nodded as he drove down the road.

They pulled up to the docks, Laurel pulled Roman out and led him to an airship, everyone boarded behind them. When they landed, the grounds of Beacon looked like a military occupied zone with IFVs driving around, SAM sites, and MLRSs.

They led Roman through Beacon, Carmine got next to him "I had a feeling the WF will try and pull something so I made some calls, now we have enough munitions for three world wars." Carmine said laughing, Roman chuckled. They reached Ozpin's tower and entered the elevator, going all the way up. The door opened and they stepped out, walking Roman to Ozpin's desk. Laurel sat Roman down in front Ozpin "Hand delivered, like you asked, Sir. Here's a list of known associates he gave me." Carmine said, handing him a copy of the list he made. "Very good, Carmine. I'll take it from here, you're dismissed." Ozpin said, Carmine nodded then looked at Roman "Hey, if you decide to change teams and work with the good guys, I'll catch you later." Carmine said, optimistically. Team CRCL headed for the elevator and took it down to the ground floor.

Exiting the tower, they made their way to the Infirmary to see Blake. Minutes later they reached their destination, they entered and made their way to the front desk. "I'm here to see Blake Belladonna." Carmine said to the nurse but the nurse just shook her head. "I'm sorry sir but she's no longer with us."

Carmine's heart dropped and he fell to his knees, he cradled his face "Oh god it's all my fault!" Carmine pounded his onto the tile floor, the nurse spoke up shouting "Oh God No! She's alive! I meant she already checked out! I am so sorry!" The nurse said apologizing, Regalia helped Carmine up off the ground. "Man, if someone checked out, just say they checked out!" Laurel said, throwing his hands up.

They turned around and left, heading to their dorm. Carmine stopped at RWBY's door, knocking on the door and telling his team to go on. Weiss answered with wide eyes "Carmine, we've been wondering where you've been. Blake's in her bed resting." She said, opening the door. Carmine walked in and snuck into her bed slowly, laying down between Blake and the wall. He placed his arm around her and lightly pulled her in close, she smiled in her sleep at Carmine's sudden scent being around her. He whispered into her ear "Blake, it's time to wake up." He said lightly causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up as her eyes shot open. She turned over and faced Carmine, hugging him as she started to cry "I was afraid I would never see you again!" She said through tears as she cried into his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace, pressing his lips into hers.

He released her from his kiss, she slowly opened her amber eyes to stare into his crimson eyes. He laid his head on her pillow, exhaling "Man, I am exhausted. I might just sleep in your bed tonight." He said, she rested her head on his chest as he closed his eyes, hoping to get good sleep. "Night guys, I'm gonna crash here tonight." He said tiredly, yawning. As he drifted off to sleep, something Roman said kept replaying in his head "Cinder said something about infiltrating Beacon." He replayed the statement over and over again as he fell asleep.

 **(A/N: Super long chapter, I hope y'all like it. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, let me know what I could have done better and what it could do without. I hope you enjoy. This is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.)**


	8. Chapter 8: Breaking Point

Chapter 8: Breaking Point

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review.**

Carmine opened his eyes and looked up at the bed above him, Blake lay next to him still asleep. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close to him, causing her to stir in her sleep. She rolled over and looked into the eyes of the man she loved, she couldn't help but smile at him. He pulled her into his embrace, the warmth of their bodies melding together as they lay in bed. Carmine stretched his arms out as he woke up fully, he scanned the room and realized that he was in Team RWBY's room.

Carmine looked across the room to see Ruby and Weiss still asleep, he slowly crawled out of bed and grabbed his shirt off the floor, as he stood up and turned around he saw Yang staring at him, her eyes fixated on his scarred body "Wow, I like what I see. Now I see why Blake fell for you." She said with a seductive purr in her voice, Carmine just winked at her. He walked over to Blake to check her wound, she lifted her shirt showing that she was all healed up, Carmine smiled relieved that his girlfriend was alright.

She stood up and hugged him, he kissed her on the lips before exiting the dorm. He made his way back to his dorm room, opening the door to see his team just waking up. "Aye, there he is. While you were gone, that package came for you." Laurel said pointing to a box on the desk next to Carmine's 500 Magnum. Carmine grabbed the large package and sat it on his bed, grabbing his knife from the desk and slicing through the tape on top. He pulled back the flaps, revealing a note on top of a wooden box, Carmine grabbed the note and read it out loud. "To Team CRCL, we thank you for your bravery and courage to defend a fellow student. Your actions have shown that you have what it takes to be true huntsmen and huntresses, inside this box you will find a well-deserved reward. Sincerely, Ozpin." Carmine finished up reading, folding the letter and pulling out the wooden box.

The rest of the team gathered around the box, Carmine flipped the latch and lifted the lid, revealing four stacks of Lien. Celadon grabbed a stack and counted it " This is like 3,000 for each of us." Celadon said, Laurel's eyes went wide. Carmine grabbed the rest and handed them to Regalia and Laurel. "We also got a new ammo box." Carmine said laughing and pointing to the box. Carmine put his reward into his vest pocket and resheathed his knife. He picked up the box and put it on the desk, placing boxes of ammo inside and closing the lid. "Hey, how's Blake doing?" Regalia asked concerned walking up to Carmine. "She's doing fine, her wounds healed up nicely. Thank you for being concerned." Carmine responded, she smiled and walked back to her bed.

"So, what is the plan for today, boss?" Laurel asked, standing at attention and saluting. Carmine chuckled "At ease, well the Vytal festival is coming up soon and if what Torchwick said has any weight then we need to be on high alert. There's a huge dance thing going on and I thought it might be good to cut loose for once. Beacon is basically a fortress at this point, we might as well enjoy the down time. I also had the idea of performing there, believe it or not, I can sing. So who else wants to join me?" Carmine asked, everyone's hand shot up. Carmine smiled "Great, we just need two more and we're good." He said clapping his hands together.

Carmine got dressed for class, pulling on a fresh pair of slate black jeans and a black shirt with a large white skull on the front of it. He slipped on his shoes and covered them with the bottom of the jeans, he slipped on his dog tags and a watch on to his wrist. Carmine grabbed his hat and slipped it on, cocking it upward a bit. The rest of the team got dressed in the uniforms and joined their leader at the door, entering the hall.

They made their way to the cafeteria, walking in to see Ruby giving a speech to her team "Sisters…. Friends….Weiss. Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream. A dream that one day, the four of us will come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had... ever!" Ruby said as Team CRCL walked up "What's she going on about?" Carmine asked, the rest of the team joining him. "I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!" Ruby said pointing her finger at Carmine. "I always kick my semesters off with a Yang! Eh? Guys? Am I right?" Yang said pointing her fingers at the crowd, Carmine just facepalmed at her statement accompanied with a sarcastic sigh. "Damnit, Yang!" Carmine said, shaking his head. She just smiled at him "So, what are you guys up to?" She asked, catching a grape in her mouth.

"Well, we were going to go talk to Ozpin and Torchwick. What about you?" Carmine asked, Weiss spoke up "I for one think that we sho…" She was cut off by a pie hitting her in the face. Everyone looks in the direction the pie came from, Nora points to Ren. Team CRCL back up as both teams stare each other down, someone shouts "Food fight!" causing a stampede of students to run toward the exit, leaving the three teams alone in the cafeteria. Carmine flipped a table over, making a shield for the team to take cover behind.

He peaked over and was amazed to see Team JNPR had made a fortress out of tables and chairs. "I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle!" Nora cheered at the top of the makeshift fortress. "Well, there's nothing I love more than over throwing a monarchy. Laurel right flank, Regalia left flank. Celadon, overwatch." He directed, they nodded and took off in different directions. Celadon grabbed a rope from one of the curtains and made his way back to Carmine who was kneeling against the wall, his hands linked together. Celadon put a foot into Carmine's hands and he shot him upwards, He grabbed a bar the support beam and pulled himself up, tying himself to the beam.

Laurel grabbed two large leaks, holding one in each hand as Pyrrha charged him with two large loafs of bread. She swiped at him but he blocked and countered with a leak slash and a sweep of the legs. She stumbled but caught herself, back flipping away from Laurel who readied himself. Regalia sprinted toward Ren who stood ready but Regalia slid underneath him, grabbing his ankle and throwing him into Jaune. Blake looked for Carmine but she couldn't see him until he exited the cafeteria, wheeling a rotisserie cart with large hollow pipes attached to the rotating cog. He lined it up with the castle and loaded the pipes with melons. Just then Weiss flew into a pillar, knocking her unconscious and she started to fall down but Ruby caught her in time.

Carmine spun the first pipe into place and charged a supernova in his palm, placing it against the pipe and detonating it. The melon shot out of the end of the pipe, it screamed across the cafeteria and slammed into the castle, Carmine grinned when his invention worked. He spun the next one into place and repeated the process, Melons screamed across the cafeteria. The support beam broke and the right side of the castle collapsed, he turned the makeshift cannon and loaded it again, firing at Nora who was charging at him with a watermelon attached to a pole. The melons missed their target but found Jaune, sending him flying into a wall. Nora smashed the cannon apart as Carmine leaped out of the way, grabbing two sodas and shaking them violently. He felt the pressure build until the can was swollen, as Nora closed in he leaped backward and threw the can into the floor in front of her, it exploded into a pink cloud of sticky mist. He threw the other one, making contact with her. The explosion knocked her back, dropping her fruit hammer.

Carmine dashed forward and grabbed the hammer, slamming it into a wall destroying the melon. He tossed the pole away and readied to go hand to hand Nora but was caught off guard when he got hit with apple. He turned to see Jaune throwing apples at him, he caught one and took a bite out of it before throwing it back at him. Jaune ducked as Ren leaped over him, Regalia hot on his trail. Carmine tackled Ren and put a pie in his face. Carmine and Regalia high fived as they rejoined the others. Celadon called from above "They're getting back up!" Carmine turned around in time to dodge a watermelon that flew by his face.

Ruby sped through the air causing a wind vortex to overtake the cafeteria, taking everyone with it. Carmine grabbed a pole and stabbed it into the ground to brace himself, he grabbed Regalia's hand as she flew by. He pulled her in and she grabbed on the pole, holding on for dear life. The vortex died down and they stood up, composing themselves and turning around to see the wall coated with an assortment of food. Team JNPR slid down and fell to the floor, the main doors were thrown open and Glynda Goodwitch stormed in, fixing the cafeteria to its original state. She fixed her glasses and posture, lowering her riding crop "Children, please. Don't play with your food." The teams stood there trying to maintain their composure but couldn't hold in the laughter.

Sun walked in to see the cafeteria covered in food "Whoa, what happened here?!" He asked surprised, looking around he saw Carmine brushing himself off. He ran up to him to ask him what happened, a guy with blue hair followed him "Hey Carmine, what happened here? Looks like a stormed came through here." He asked Carmine who finished dusting himself off. "Ask Little Red, she's the one who did this. Who's your friend?" Carmine asked Sun, gesturing to the blue haired guy. "Oh, this is my good friend, Neptune. Neptune, this is Carmine." Sun explained.

Carmine and Neptune bumped fists as the rest of Team CRCL joined up with Carmine. "This is Celadon, Regalia, and Laurel. We make up Team CRCL." Carmine explained, the others waved hello. Celadon shook hands with Neptune, making small talk while Carmine confronted Glynda. "Hey, we just got a little carried away that's all. Besides, no one got hurt and everything is back together so no need to do anything rash." Carmine explained, defending the other teams who were trying to not look guilty. "Relax, they're just teenagers after all. Cut them some slack." Ozpin said joining his assistant who just sighed. "Fine, But don't let this happen again." She said angrily before turning and leaving the cafeteria.

Ozpin turned to Carmine "She means well, but in the mean time Mr. Torchwick is waiting for you." Ozpin said sipping from his mug. Carmine nodded and summoned his team, exiting the cafeteria and making their way toward Ozpin's office. They entered the tower and took the elevator up, as it climbed Laurel turned to Carmine. "So, do you think he will change sides?" Laurel asked Carmine. He looked down at the floor for a moment, before turning to Laurel. "I honestly don't know, I mean he gave me a warning about Adam and Cinder, unless he was trying to trick me I think he might have had a change of heart." Carmine said shaking his head.

The door opened and they stepped into Ozpin's office, Roman was sitting at the desk waiting for Carmine. Carmine sat down in Ozpin's chair and faced Roman, his team standing behind the man in question. Carmine cleared his throat before speaking "They're behind you so don't think about doing anything stupid." Carmine said sternly, Roman nodded as Carmine continued "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about? Have you had a change of heart?" Torchwick looked down at the floor before speaking. "I told Ozpin all I know and he has informed me that Ironwood is already on his way for the Vytal festival so they'll be taking me in. It is for the best though, so that way Adam's goons can't get a hold of me." Roman explained, Carmine nodded as he looked out through the windows.

Huge Atlas airships flew into the airspace, escorted by Bullheads and drop ships. A drop ship broke off from the pack and flew down toward Beacon, landing in the courtyard. Carmine jumped out of the chair and walked over to the window, looking down at it as the door opened. Ironwood stepped out accompanied by four Atlas soldiers, they walked toward the tower where Carmine and Roman were.

"Well, looks like they're here for you. Listen, I can never forgive you for what happened years ago but maybe you can make amends with yourself by doing good for others. But know this, if you try to cross us I will strike you down with great fury and extreme prejudice." Carmine warned him, staring into his eyes. Roman nodded, understanding what would happen if he crossed them. The elevator opened and Ironwood stepped into the office, the soldiers grabbed hold of Roman and put him in handcuffs, leading him into the elevator. Ironwood shook hands with Carmine to thank him for capturing Torchwick, then turned and entered the elevator.

Carmine turned and addressed his team "Now that we have dealt with that, let's go check out the stage." He said, his team cheered behind him. They boarded the elevator and took it down, reaching the bottom in no time. As they exited into the courtyard, they saw as Atlas was loading Roman into the drop ship, the door closing behind them. The ship took off from Beacon toward the largest airship, disappearing behind the clouds.

Team CRCL made their way to the ballroom, entering through the double doors to see a large room with three huge chandeliers overhead, there was a large stage at the end of the room. Carmine got a running start and leaped on stage, landing on his right foot and spinning to face the imaginary crowd. Celadon, Regalia, and Laurel started clapping at what they just witnessed, Carmine bowed in response. The rest of the team joined him on stage and faced the same direction, envisioning the same imaginary crowd.

They were brought out of their day dream by the sound of doors opening, Carmine looked forward to see Sun and Neptune standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey guys! What are you up to?" Sun asked approaching the stage. "We're getting ready for Vytal ball, it's gonna dope as fuck son!" Laurel said, crossing his arms. Regalia sighed and shook her head, Carmine hopped off stage and grabbed a crate, opening the lid. "This is a Wolfwood 4000 speaker, there are twelve of these spread throughout this room. Not to mention the rest of the sound system components." Carmine said displaying the large speaker.

"Wow, dude this is gonna be so awesome!" Sun said excitedly, Neptune stepped forward and spoke up "If you need a guitarist I'm your guy." He said, Carmine nodded and looked to Sun "What about you, we need a sixth person. Sing or something." Carmine asked him, Sun shook his head in agreement "Oh yea, count me in!" Sun said, bumping fists with Carmine. "Cool, we got our six people. All we need to do is rehearse a bit then we should be good." Celadon said putting his hands together. "In the mean time, let's go find the others." Regalia said.

Everyone made their way to the courtyard, Carmine pulled out his scroll and texted Blake to see where they were at. After a few minutes he got a response "Blake says the two teams are in library, so let's head that way." Carmine said putting his scroll away. The group made their way to the library, soon finding it filled with more people than usual "Whoa, what's going on here?" Laurel asked confused by all the people, Regalia got a smirk across her face "Well Laurel, this is called a library. People come here to read books and gain knowledge." She said sarcastically, Carmine suppressed his laughter as Laurel's face turned red. Ruby waved them over to their table as they walked through the library. They approached and Carmine spoke up "Hey Ruby, Blake, Yang… Ice Queen." He said to Weiss who responded with an annoyed 'Hey!'

Everyone laughed except Weiss who just shook her head. Blake looked distracted about something and Carmine noticed quickly "Hey Blake, take a walk with me?" He asked, offering his hand to her. She smiled and took his hand, he lead them outside into the courtyard. "Is everything alright?" He asked her concerned. She hesitated "No, nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?" She inquired, Carmine sat her down on a bench and faced her "You haven't been the same since you got hurt, I'm worried about you. Look, Torchwick is in jail so there's nothing to worry about." He explained, she just sighed

"I know, it's just that we may have to face Adam, he's brutal and fast. I don't want him to kill you." She said, tears forming in her eyes. Carmine pulled her into his arms, holding her tight "Adam will wish he can touch me. Besides, I'm like ten times as brutal as him. I mean I'll rip his arm off and beat him with it, like why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?" Carmine said making slapping motions with his hand. Blake giggled at his motions and smiled "There's that smile. You have the cutest smile." He said kissing her on the cheek, causing her to blush. Carmine let her go and leaned back against the bench with his hands behind his head, Blake rested her head on his chest.

They sat in the courtyard, taking in the scenery and the sunlight that shown through the trees, the heat radiating onto their bodies. Carmine's attention was directed toward the sound of approaching footsteps, they sounded like glass heels. Carmine opened his eyes to see a woman with black hair and amber eyes standing before him, she wore a dark grey long sleeve top with a white arm band and black tights. "Hi, I'm kinda lost I'm trying to find the library, can you help me?" The woman asked with her hands behind her back. Carmine stood up and pointed toward the direction "Go that way, take a right and it's the second door on the left." He said giving her directions.

"Thanks, the name's Cinder by the way." She said turning and walking away. Carmine clenched his fists, keeping himself from erasing her off the face of Remnant. He exhaled his frustration, a cloud of steam exited his mouth and rose to the sky. He sat back down and stared at Cinder as she walked away, Blake looked at him curiously "Hey, what's wrong? You okay?" She asked placing her hand on his back. "I'm fine." Carmine said with venom on his tongue. "Are you sure? You don't seem…" Blake started to speak but was cut off "I said I'm fine! Just drop it." Carmine snapped at her, his eyes a deep red like hell fire. She had a hurt look on her face, she stood up and ran toward her dorm room.

"Blake! Wait, no I didn't mean to snap." Carmine tried to apologize but she was already gone. He dropped his head into his hands, mentally kicking himself for what he just said. "I'm sorry, Blake. I told you I can't get close to anyone." He said to himself, standing up and leaving the courtyard with his hands in his pockets. As he walked, he heard someone running toward him behind him, as he turned around he was tackled to the ground, his arms pinned to the ground.

Coco straddled his waist, looking into his crimson eyes through her dark sunglasses "There you are, cutie." She said with a purr in her voice. Carmine didn't show any emotion "Coco, on any other day I'd be happy to do this but I just snapped at my girlfriend for something she knows nothing about." Carmine said pushing his legs up and rolling her over. She wrapped her legs around his back "You aren't getting away that fast." She said pulling him down into her chest. Carmine tried to fight her advances but found it futile, she eventually let him go and he shot to his feet, trying to distance himself from her "Coco, I'm serious. I have a girlfriend and I love her, please don't do this." Carmine pleaded with her as she sauntered toward him, placing a hand on his chest "Well damn, looks like I'm too late. Well, if you want some of this you know where to find me." She said winking at him before strutting away.

Carmine exhaled a sigh of relief, dusting himself off and fixing his clothes. "Well, that was something else." Laurel said laughing as he walked towards Carmine "Yeah, she's obsessed with me but that isn't the problem. The problem is I snapped at Blake when she tried to make sure I was OK." Carmine explained to him. "Damn, what happened? What made you snap?" Laurel asked confused. "I saw Cinder, the one Torchwick warned us about. She's disguised as a student" Carmine said, Laurel's expression fell. "Well, this makes for an interesting turn of events. I guess we should just keep an eye on them, I assume she's with her goons?" Laurel asked but Carmine shrugged his shoulders "She was alone, she might have people with her but as of now, I don't know." Carmine replied. Laurel nodded as they walked toward their dorms.

* **5 Hours Later** *

Carmine laid in bed, thinking of ways to apologize to Blake. He was brought out of his deep thought by pounding on the door, he stood up and walked to the door. "Hello" Carmine said answering the door only to be met with a fist to the face. Carmine flew back into the wall, sliding down to the floor as Yang walked into the room. Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia drew their guns given to them by Carmine, Celadon's Scorpion EVO, Laurels Striker, and Regalia's Honey Badger. "Alright bitch, you better have a good reason for hitting him or we open fire!" Regalia yelled at Yang who cocked her gauntlets, her eyes red. "He made Blake cry so I'm here to hurt him. Don't get in my way." Yang replied but Celadon stepped behind her, using her aura to lock her in place.

"Why don't we hear what he has to say first, okay?" Celadon said, the team lowered their guns as Carmine picked himself up. "I accidentally snapped at Blake because I saw the woman who killed my last girlfriend, Cinder Fall. She was in a Haven outfit and I told her how to get to the library." Carmine explained, Yang's eyes went wide as Celadon let her go, she fell to the floor in her sudden realization.

*Flashback: Three years ago*

Carmine exited the dust shop, holding a few crystals in his hand as he walked down the street. As he turned the corner he bumped into a woman, falling on to her. "Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you ok?" Carmine apologized and looked up at her to make sure she was ok. His eyes met hers, she had beautiful blue eyes and jet black hair that seemed to blend together perfectly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about running into you, it's my fault I wasn't paying attention." She apologized but Carmine just stared into her eyes, causing her to blush. "Your eyes are so beautiful, they accent your hair perfectly." Carmine complemented her, she giggled. "I bet you say that to all the girls." She said playfully.

"I'm Carmine Sabel." He said standing up and outstretching his hand. She took his hand and stood up "Sapphire Zaffre, It's nice to meet you, Carmine." She shook his hand. "Hey, I hope this doesn't sound too forward but would you want to get a drink sometime?" He asked nervously, she giggled at his nervousness "I'd like that. Here's my number." She said smiling, handing him a slip of paper. "See you later, Carmine." She said walking away, Carmine tried his best to contain himself but failed "Fuck Yeah!" He said cheering and running to the HQ, bursting through the door. "Guys, I just met the most amazing girl, ever!" Carmine said happily. "That's great Carmine, now just don't fuck it up." Crimson said, Onyx slugged him in the arm "Good Job, little bro!" Onyx congratulated him, giving him a bear hug. "So, when do we get to meet the little lady." Nightshade asked walking into the room. "Let me have a night with her first then we'll see about that." Carmine said snapping and pointing at Nightshade. Carmine walked into his room and shut the door behind him, pulling out his scroll to text Sapphire. 'Want to go dancing tonight? ' Carmine sent her a message, getting an instant reply. 'Sure, that sounds lovely '

 ***3 Hours Later***

Carmine stepped out of his room dressed in a black long sleeve shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He had a silver watch on his left wrist and silver necklace around his neck. "Wow, man you look great! She is gonna be head over heels for you." Keppel said, fixing Carmine's collar and necklace. "I pulled the car around front for you." Crimson said tossing Carmine the keys. Carmine said his goodbyes as he exited and closed the door, a white Zorvette Z07 sat out front. Carmine got in and started it up, the engine rumbled as the pistons started firing, Carmine pressed the pedal causing it to rev up loud. Carmine took off into Vale, following the directions to Sapphire's house, twenty five minutes later he pulled up out front.

He got out and knocked on the door, Sapphire answered the door and Carmine's jaw dropped. She wore a stunning long blue dress that flowed like water, she had on a pair of six inch black heels, and her hair was curled beautifully. "Close your mouth, you look silly." She said giggling. Carmine snapped out of it and regained his composure. "Sorry, I just didn't think there were goddesses here in Remnant." He said complimenting her, she blushed at his statement. "Shall we?" He asked, guiding her to the car and opening the door for her. She got in and he closed the door, walking around to the other side. 'Don't screw this up.' He thought to himself getting in the car.

He started the car and drove off toward the main road. "So, where are we going?" She asked as they drove. "A guy I did a job for has this real nice club, thought it'd be a cool place to go." He said as they sped down the road, weaving in and out of traffic. Carmine eventually pulled into the parking lot of a rather large building. There were a lot of vehicles in the parking lot but hr managed to find one at the front, they got out of the car and went inside. The music was loud and everyone was dancing so rhythmically it looked a music video. Carmine took Sapphire by the hand and led her on to the floor where they danced in tune with each other. As they danced, a new song came on and some of the people left the floor.

 **Into The Night – Santana and Chad Kroeger Dance: Salsa**

As the guitar played in, Sapphire began to dance with the song, she spun around and her dress began to move like a river. Carmine took her hand and danced with her, she pushed her body up close to him as they stepped with each other.

 **Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell, It was love from above, that could save me from hell, She had fire in her soul it was easy to see, How the devil himself could be pulled out of me. There were drums in the air as she started to dance, Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands. And we sang…**

As they danced the crowd began to clap and cheer, singing along with the song.

 **Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, And the voices rang like the angels sing, We're singing... Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, And we danced on into the night, Ay oh ay oh, Ay oh ay oh, And we danced on into the night.**

 **Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place, You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces, We were spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes, No room left to move in between you and I, We forgot where we were and we lost track of time, And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night, And we sang.**

Carmine spun her around and dipped her low before bringing her back, they again began to dance with each other, he spun her again but this time brought her right back up to him. Her eyes were dilated and she was smiling. They started dancing an anaconda followed by a club taco.

 **Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, And the voices rang like the angels sing, We're singing... Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, And we danced on into the night, Ay oh ay oh,Ay oh ay oh, And we danced on into the night, Ay oh ay oh, Ay oh ay oh, And we danced on into the night**

Carmine spun her away before spinning her back to him, pulling her close and dipping her down then back up. The way they danced, it looked as if they were two streams flowing together, becoming one.

 **Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell, It was love from above, that could save me from hell, She had fire in her soul it was easy to see, How the devil himself could be pulled out of me, There were drums in the air as she started to dance, Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands, And we sang... Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, And the voices rang like the angels sing We're singing... Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, And we danced on into the night, Ay oh ay oh, Ay oh ay oh, And we danced on into the night.**

As Carmine and Sapphire danced close together, he spun her around multiple times. Her dress fluttering in the air as she spun. Carmine followed her spinning with a La Amore.

 **And the voices rang like the angels sing), Ay oh ay oh, Ay oh ay oh, And we danced on into the night, Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, (Ay oh ay oh), Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, (Ay oh ay oh), Singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, (Ay oh ay oh), And we danced on into the night..**

As the song ended, Carmine pulled her close to him. Their bodies clung to each other as the crowd cheered. Sapphire kissed Carmine, he pulled her closer to him as she kissed him. They broke their kiss and exited the dance floor. They got a table, both panting from dancing together so beautifully. "That was amazing, where did you learn to dance like that?" She asked excitedly. "I uh, Boogled it before I got dressed. I'm a fast learner, but you were amazing. The way you danced was astounding." Carmine replied.

The waiter came up to the table "Wow, just wow. You guys are a crowd favorite! Drinks are on the house." The waiter said, taking their orders before leaving. "So, you thinking of dancing again after the drinks?" Carmine asked but she shook her head " Nah, my legs are screaming after that." Sapphire said sipping from her drink. "Yea, I'm more of a singer than a dancer." Carmine said, smiling. She almost spit out her drink. "You can sing!?" She asked excitedly, he nodded before going to the microphone stand. He talked to the band before going back to the microphone. The drummer started playing.

 **Smooth – Santana feat. Rob Thomas**

 **Man, it's a hot one Like seven inches from the midday sun. Well, I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone But you stay so cool My muñequita, My Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa You're my reason for reason The step in my groove, yeah.**

 **And if you said, "This life ain't good enough." I would give my world to lift you up I could change my life to better suit your mood Because you're so smooth**

 **And it's just like the ocean under the moon Well, that's the same as the emotion that I get from you You got the kind of loving that can be so smooth, yeah. Gimme your heart, make it real Or else forget about it** Carmine pointed to Sapphire singing into the mic. She blushed and ran to the stage.

 **Well, I'll tell you one thing If you would leave it'd be a crying shame In every breath and every word I hear your name calling me out**

 **And if you said, "This life ain't good enough." I would give my world to lift you up I could change my life to better suit your mood Because you're so smooth**

 **And it's just like the ocean under the moon Well, that's the same as the emotion that I get from you You got the kind of loving that can be so smooth, yeah. Gimme your heart, make it real Or else forget about it**

 **And it's just like the ocean under the moon Well, that's the same as the emotion that I get from you You got the kind of loving that can be so smooth, yeah. Gimme your heart, make it real Or else forget about it**

 **Or else forget about it Or else forget about it Oh, let's don't forget about it (Gimme your heart, make it real) Let's don't forget about it (hey) Let's don't forget about it (no oh no oh) Let's don't forget about it (no no no oh) Let's don't forget about it (hey no no oh) Let's don't forget about it (hey hey hey)**

As he finished, the crowd went ballistic cheering and clapping. He jumped off stage and wrapped his arms around Sapphire. Four women ran up and offered to buy him a drink but Sapphire interrupted them "Sorry ladies, he's taken." She said, planting a kiss on his lips. Carmine developed a large smile at the sudden realization. They walked out of the building and back to the car, he opened the door for her again letting her in. He started up the Zorvette and took off down the road back to Vale. Thirty minutes later they were outside her house, he walked her to the door. She kissed him deeply and pulled him close to her. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked with a smirk, but she shook her "Nope, you're staying here tonight." She said pulling him inside.

Carmine woke up the next morning in Sapphires bed, his clothes spread out on the floor. He wrapped his arms around Sapphire, pulling her close to him. "Morning, Cutie." She said, kissing him on the lips. After laying around for thirty minutes, Carmine got out of bed and pulled on his pants. He tossed a bra to Sapphire, she attached it fixing her breasts. She got dressed in casual wear while he put on the clothes from the night before. He looked into the mirror and noticed the lipstick marks on his neck, he couldn't help but chuckle at this. She walked behind him and wrapped her arms around him, playing with his chest hairs before he put his shirt back on.

They got into the Zorvette and headed toward the HQ, pulling up out front. He opened the door and let her in, closing the door behind them. "Hey guys, I'm home!" Carmine called out. Onyx, Crimson, Keppel, Nightshade, and Grullo ran to greet him. "So how did it go?" Crimson asked eagerly but Carmine just pointed to his neck. "My man!" Crimson said hugging him. "Guys, This is Sapphire. Sapphire, this is Wolf Pack. You got Onyx, Crimson, Keppel, Nightshade, and Grullo. They're like my brothers. Y'all get acquainted while I go change." Carmine said heading to his room. He came out wearing jeans and a t shirt, Sapphire was laughing when he entered the room. "They are so funny! Carmine, your family is awesome," She said laughing. He sat down next to her and she rested her head on his chest. "I'm happy you found someone, little bro." Onyx said smiling.

 ***6 Months Later***

Carmine and Sapphire laid in his bed holding each other, Keppel knocked on the door "Carmine we gotta move." Keppel said. Carmine sighed "I gotta go, babe. I love you. You can stay here until I get back." Carmine said kissing her on the lips "Come back to me safe, ok." She said handing him his MP7. He holstered it and slipped on the heavy IBA. He left the HQ and got into the back of a cargo truck. Onyx briefed the team "So, we're attacking an encampment and we're looking for a woman by the name of Cinder Fall. She is said to be the one supplying the White Fang." He said, the team nodded in agreement as the cargo truck entered the forest. The truck backed up the encampment and the team jumped out with M249Bs, opening fire on the camp. Bullets tore through the tents and shredded white fang soldiers. A woman in a red dress took off in a Humvee, the team sprayed it with bullets and popped the tires, it slid into a tree. The woman managed to escape through a broken window, a shard of glass cut her leg and left blood running down the side of the Humvee.

The team took off running after her, chasing her through the forest. Carmine fired but missed the shots, she shot four arrows back at them. As they ran, they realized they were in Vale so they stopped pursuit and returned to HQ. "I can't believe we lost her. We could have dumped on her." Grullo said but Nightshade shook his head "Too many civilians." He said placing the LMG on the table. Carmine called out to Sapphire "Hey Sapphire, I'll drive you home. We gotta go hunt someone down," He called to her. She walked out of his room, stretched, and yawned. "But I don't want to leave!" She pleaded. "Damnit, if only you weren't so adorable. Fine, you can stay." He said, giving in to her pleas. She cheered and jumped into his arms. "I love you, Carmine Sabel" She said burying her face into his chest. "I love you too, Sapphire Zaffre." Carmine said running his fingers through her hair.

The next day, Carmine woke up in the morning and got dressed. He let Sapphire sleep as he slipped out of his room. He got into the Zorvette and drove into Vale, pulling into the parking lot of a jewelry store. He slipped inside and spoke to the clerk "Hey, I need an engagement ring. Ruby and Sapphires." Carmine said, the clerk pulled out a ring with rather large jewels in it, the light reflected perfectly off of them. "It's perfect, I'll take it." Carmine said handing him three thousand lien. Carmine took the box and slipped it into his pocket. Carmine hopped back in his car and drove back to the HQ. As he walked in, his team was rushing around "Carmine! We have to move, now. They know where we are, take Sapphire home." Onyx ordered, Carmine nodded and ran into his room to wake Sapphire.

"Sapphire! Sapphire, we have to move now!" He said picking her up. "Whoa, slow down. Where's the fire?" She asked half awake. Carmine kicked open the door and put her in the Zorvette, hopping into the driver seat. The car tires screeched as it took off, racing through the streets of Vale. Soon a hail of gunfire hit the front of the HQ, Carmine slammed the pedal to the floor and turned right down a road. A Humvee got behind them as they drove, it hit the back of the car. Carmine turned left in an attempt to lose the Humvee but it stayed on their tail, catching up with them again. He pulled the E Brake and slid the car to a stop, stepping out and raising his SCAR-H "Get into your house now! I'll hold them off." Carmine ordered firing at the Humvee, killing the driver. The Humvee rolled to a stop and more soldiers stepped out, weapons in hand charging at Carmine.

He put one down after another, he swapped mags and cocked the slide. He dropped two more soldiers before he looked back for Sapphire. With the pursuing WF dead, he went to go check on her. He walked up to her door but it was cracked open, he radioed his team "Guys, I'm gonna need back up at Sapphires asap." He ordered "Onyx and Nightshade are already on their way." Grullo responded over the radio. Sure enough, Onyx and Nightshade pulled around the corner and parked the armored vehicle. "We're ready when you are." Onyx said, as soon as Carmine nodded they rushed the door. They stormed the apartment with their guns drawn, Carmine came into the living room to find a note "We have your girlfriend at east fang camp, good luck. – Cinder" Carmine read the note out loud. "Arm up, we're going after them." Onyx said raising his rifle. They hopped back into the Armored Vehicle and sped off toward the camp, Keppel, Crimson, and Grullo joined behind them. After forty five minutes of driving, they approached the base. "Keppel, Crimson you guys got Overwatch. Onyx, Nightshade, Grullo you guys be ready to open fire. I'm going in and I might not come back, take good care of her, ok?" Carmine said solemnly, Onyx nodded. Carmine entered the camp with his hands up, WF soldiers had their weapons on his head as he approached the main area.

"Where is she Cinder!? Where is Sapphire!?" Carmine yelled out. Cinder walked out with Sapphire in her arm and a knife to her throat. "So, have you come to surrender?" Cinder asked lowering the knife. Carmine looked down "If it means you let her live, I surrender." He said. She let go of Sapphire and formed a glass bow, drawing back on the string. An arrow formed and pointed right for Carmine's chest. "Hmm on second thought, I want you to suffer." Cinder said, releasing the arrow into Sapphire's chest.

"No!" Carmine cried out as bullets flew by him, killing WF soldiers. He stood up and ran to catch Sapphire "Hang on Sapphire, we'll get you to a hospital." Carmine said picking her up and running toward the rest of the team. "Come on, we gotta move!" Carmine yelled, getting into the back with her. The truck sped off toward Vale as Carmine held her close to him "Come on, baby. Stay with me." He begged, tears running down his face. "Don't cry Carmine, you're my Titan. I will always love you." She said weakly. "Sapphire, will you marry me?" He asked her through the tears. She smiled "Yes, I will be Sapphire Sabel." She said smiling. "We're here! Let's go!" Onyx called out. Carmine ran into the hospital with Sapphire in his arms "I need a fucking doctor, now!" Carmine screamed out. Four doctors rushed out and took her into the ER. After what felt like an eternity, the doctor came out "Carmine? We did all we could but she doesn't have long. You should go say goodbye." The doctor said, Carmine ran into the ICU and found Sapphire. "Sapphire, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I love you, Sapphire. I always will." He told her, tears running down his face.

She put her hand on his head "Shhh, I'll always be with you. No matter what, I'll be with you. I love you, Carmine. Please, don't get hung up on me, after enough time, find someone new, please promise me" She said comforting her boyfriend. "I can't, I couldn't love anyone other than you" He pulled out the box and showed her the ring, slipping it onto her finger. "It's beautiful, I love it and I love you." She said, kissing him. "Sapphire Sabel, it's got a nice ring to it. I will always love you, Carmine Sabel. My Titan." She said, closing her eyes. He squeezed her hand as she passed, Carmine couldn't handle it and broke down in tears. He slipped the ring back into its box and put it into the box. "I promise I'll move on, for you Sapphire." He said as he put the box into his pocket and rested his head on the hospital bed. Onyx and Crimson had to physically remove him from the room, taking him home.

A couple days later, there was knock on the door. Carmine answered the door half way open "Mr. Sable, the funeral for Sapphire is today. We're here to take you there." A limo driver said, Carmine nodded and got dressed. He exited the HQ and went to the funeral, her family filled one side and wolf pack filled the other. Carmine stood up and gave a speech.

"Seven months ago, I met an angel and she saved me. Her name was Sapphire and she was the prettiest girl I ever saw. A few days ago, I decided I wanted to marry her because I wanted to wake up next to her every morning. In her final moments, she told me that she would marry me when I got up there with her so now I pray for that day, that day I get to see her again. Seven months ago, I didn't meet a girl, I met an Angel who had been sent to save me. I only wish I could have saved her." Carmine said, leaving the podium before bursting into tears. Keppel and Crimson comforted him as they finished up the ceremony, lowering her coffin into the ground.

"I promise, I will make Cinder pay for this. I will rip her apart from limb to limb. I will make her suffer." Carmine said, clenching his fists.

 ***End Flashback***

"That's why I snapped at her like I did." Carmine explained with tears running down his face. Everyone in the room was also in tears, Yang stood up and gave Carmine a large hug "I am so sorry about everything." She said wiping her tears away. "If you could just let her know I'm sorry and if she doesn't want to be with me anymore, I understand. If she still wants to be with me, have her meet me at the ball" Carmine asked her, she nodded "Yeah, I'll do that. I'll see you tonight."Yang said exiting the dorm.

"I can't believe you've lost so much in a short period." Regalia said hugging her now crying leader. "Just let it out, you're with loved ones. Let it out." She said comforting him. "So she named you Titan and when Coco called you 'Cutie', you showed no emotion to it. That makes a lot more sense." Laurel said shaking his head. "We have to be covert with this, I mean we can't just go waste her in front of everyone." Carmine said, wiping the tears away.

* **2 Hours Later***

"Alright guys, let's head to the ball" Carmine said dressed in his all black dress clothes. Celadon walked up wearing a shiny green dress shirt and black pants. Laurel wore all black like Carmine except his shoes were dark blue. Regalia wore a flowing purple dress, her down over her shoulders rather than the usual ponytail. They exited the dorm and made their way to the ball, picking up Sun and Neptune along the way. They entered the ballroom and took their place on stage, Yang stood at a podium in a white dress, Ruby in a black and red dress, and Weiss in an elegant blue dress. Blake was nowhere to be seen. "She'll show up, I know she will." Celadon said. Over time, the ballroom filled with more people who danced with the music from the PA system.

"Alright, let's start. Everyone take a point and a mic." Carmine said Celadon hopped on the drumset with a mic, Laurel grabbed the bass and stood behind a mic stand. Neptune grabbed an electric guitar and assumed position behind a stand. Sun grabbed another guitar and joined Neptune behind a mic, Regalia took place behind a mic as female vocals.

 ***Singing parts: Cr- Carmine, Cl-Celadon, L-Laurel, R-Regalia, N-Neptune, S-Sun***

"Hey guys! Welcome to Beacon and the Vytal Festival ball. We are Zaffre." Carmine said, with that he tapped his foot as the band began to play. "I wanna dedicate this song to the girl I loved so much, she passed away before I could marry her. So, this is for you, Sapphire Zaffre Sabel." Carmine said as the song began to pick up

 **Into The Night – Santana and Chad Kroeger**

 **Cr:** **Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell, It was love from above, that could save me from hell, She had fire in her soul it was easy to see, How the devil himself could be pulled out of me, There were drums in the air as she started to dance, Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands,And we sang...**

 **S,N:** **Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

 **Cr:** **And the voices rang like the angels sing, We're singing...**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

 **Cr:** **And we danced on into the night,**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh,** **Ay oh ay oh,**

 **Cr:** **And we danced on into the night,**

 **Cr:** **Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place, You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces, We were spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes, No room left to move in between you and I, We forgot where we were and we lost track of time, And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night, And we sang...**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

 **Cr: And the voices rang like the angels sing, We're singing...**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

 **Cr: And we danced on into the night,**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh, Ay oh ay oh,**

 **Cr: And we danced on into the night,**

Sun and Neptune proceeded to play the solo.

 **Cr: Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell, It was love from above, that could save me from hell, She had fire in her soul it was easy to see, How the devil himself could be pulled out of me, There were drums in the air as she started to dance, Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands,And we sang...**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

 **Cr: And the voices rang like the angels sing, We're singing...**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

 **Cr: And we danced on into the night,**

 **S,N: Ay oh ay oh, Ay oh ay oh,**

 **Cr: And we danced on into the night,**

 **All:** **Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, (Ay oh ay oh), Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, (Ay oh ay oh), Singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay, (Ay oh ay oh),**

 **Cr:** **And we danced on into the night...**

The band finished playing the song and the crowd went ballistic. Cheering and clapping. Carmine looked back at his team and smiled, they looked so happy with the results. Carmine pulled the mic from the stand and sat it to the side. Celadon started playing hard on the drums.

 **Been To Hell – Hollywood Undead**

 **L: Welcome to a city that'll bring you to your knees It'll make you beg for more, until you can't even breathe Your blindfold is on tight, but you like what you see So follow me into the night, cuz I got just what you need We're all rollin' down the boulevard, full of pimps and sharks It's a motherfuckin' riot, we've been dying to start You better grab a hold cuz now you know you're falling apart You thought these streets were paved in gold but they're dirty and dark**

 **All: Been to hell!**

 **N:** **I can show you the devil!**

 **All:** **Down you fell**

 **N:** **Can't hold yourself together**

 **All:** **Soul to sell**

 **N:** **Down here you live forever. Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Been to hell!**

 **N: I can show you the devil!**

 **All: Down you fell**

 **N: Can't hold yourself together**

 **All: Soul to sell**

 **N: Down here you live forever. Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **S:** **In the belly of the beast, I'm a wolf amongst sheep At the bottom of the hill, but at the top of the street Above the boulevard, schoolyard, victim of deceit And you're running hard, but this wolf it's always at your feet Yeah you've seen it all before, but the wolf's outside your door And you're old enough to run, you ain't hiding anymore Another victim of the star spangled banner of the street Now you're in the world of the wolves And we welcome all you sheep**

 **All: Been to hell!**

 **N: I can show you the devil!**

 **All: Down you fell**

 **N: Can't hold yourself together**

 **All: Soul to sell**

 **N: Down here you live forever. Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Been to hell!**

 **N: I can show you the devil!**

 **All: Down you fell**

 **N: Can't hold yourself together**

 **All: Soul to sell**

 **N: Down here you live forever. Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **Cr:** **You need to wake up and face it So you can taste my reality Now you're stuck in this place you hate And you came here so happily Then it made you lose your faith And that's what fucked with your sanity Say goodbye to your soul and say hello to your vanity, Vale is your friend, and the undead are your family We'll take you to the edge, and turn your regret into agony And I'll never let you go, cuz I know you'll come back to me I'm the reason you came here, I'm the Remnant Tragedy.**

 **All: Been to hell!**

 **N: I can show you the devil!**

 **All: Down you fell**

 **N: Can't hold yourself together**

 **All: Soul to sell**

 **N: Down here you live forever. Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Been to hell!**

 **N: I can show you the devil!**

 **All: Down you fell**

 **N: Can't hold yourself together**

 **All: Soul to sell**

 **N: Down here you live forever. Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **All: Welcome!**

 **N:** **Welcome to a world where dreams become nightmares!**

 **All: Welcome!**

When they finished the crowd was roaring cheering, the front of the room was packed wall to wall. The band stepped off stage to take a break, they were swarmed with by cheering fans and patrons. Carmine managed to slip away undetected and went outside for some air. When he stepped outside, he saw Blake walking toward the ballroom, he sprinted over to her. "Blake, there you are. I was worried that you weren't coming. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier" Carmine said. "It's ok, listen Yang told me everything that you told her and now I completely understand your frustration at the sight of Cinder. I love you, Carmine and I want to be there for you, like Sapphire would have wanted to be by your side." She said wrapping her arms around his torso.

He ran his fingers through her hair causing her to purr. "You still love Sapphire, don't you?" She asked looking up at him. He nodded "I loved her with everything in my being and someone took it all away, I'm hoping that it doesn't happen again. I love you, Blake" Carmine said kissing her forehead. They held each other's hand and walked inside. Blake took a place at the front of the stage as Carmine and the band got back on stage. Sun and Neptune began playing on the guitars, Celadon following the drums

 **Usual Suspects– Hollywood Undead**

 **Cl: Woke up one morning on the Sunset Strip, With a half smoked blunt and some blood on my lip, Hit up the ring for that Mary Jane. Man, all she had left with ménage à trois Rolled in the pink, I picked up some Cuervo Walking sideways and I'm starting to swerve, oh Last night was wild, threw my money at Jumbo's Wine and dine, tig ol' bitties and bimbos Hollywood rat pack, gats in my backpack Cruise through your valley and I'm snatching your snapbacks Huffing on some paint and I think that I'm half black Rolling up a blunt and fuck it up over this track**

 **N:** **I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **N: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **Cr: If everybody gotta be everything they wanna be I don't think I'd see you bitches sitting right in front of me You can check them windows, packing up the pistols Snitches talking shit, 'bout my Hollywood hit song You can come west, but you'll never be West Coast Doping on these motherfuckers deep in the DeSoto Oh no, tell me what you wanna be You can be anything but not another Three I'm a holy roller, slow blunt smoker The mask on the page of a wanted poster Look into my eyes and tell me what you see The wickedness in you is the wickedness in me**

As he sang, he down at Blake and shot her a wink, she smiled at him.

 **N: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **N: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **S: How did I let this happen? This life I can't get back from This fully loaded magnum, if you got some questions, ask 'em I turned into a madman like Dahmer mixed with Manson I'll take this soul for ransom, make you scream my fucking anthem I'm knocking at your door, I'm pacing back and forth You better board up your windows 'cause I'mma start a war Or maybe I'm just tripping, this weed is got me spinning Undead until I die so when I die you know I'm living**

 **N: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **N: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **N,Cr,S: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

 **N,Cr,S: I think I've lost my mind But I'm feeling so alive What a pity, it's so pretty Looking through the bars and I see my city**

As they finished up the crowd went ballistic once again, Sun ran and jumped off the stage, the crowd caught him and carried him to the end of the room. Carmine looked around the room and saw Jaune wearing a dress and Pyrrha giggling at him, he couldn't help but laugh as well. He hopped off stage and approached him "Oh, Hey Carmine!" Jaune said greeting the large man approaching him. "Jaune, have you asked Pyrrha out yet?" Carmine asked him, Jaune shook his head "Her, she can do way better than me. She probably wants a guy like you. You can sing, fight, lead a literal army." Jaune said, comparing himself to Carmine. "Jaune, while that is all true, her eyes say differently. Go up to her, look into her eyes and just kiss her. Do it or I beat you into a coma." Carmine said cracking his knuckles.

Jaune nodded nervously and approached Pyrrha, he looked into her emerald green eyes and she looked into his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her lips. She looked surprised at first but gave into her desire. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes "You have no Idea how long I waited for you to do that." She said with a smile, kissing him again. "There you go, Jaune. A nice, quirky girl who likes you." Carmine said patting him on the shoulder. "How did I miss the signs?!" Jaune asked out loud. "Cause you're an idiot." Carmine said teasing him.

The crowd cheered for the newly formed couple, Team RWBY congratulating Jaune for finally getting a girlfriend. Carmine jumped back on stage with Sun and Neptune, moving the microphone stands to the front. Laurel brought up a switchboard to the stage, putting it in the back and pressing a few buttons while Celadon stood at a mic stand in the back. Carmine cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention "This song is for all the couples here, take this time to tell them how much you love them." Carmine said, winking at Blake who was near the front. Laurel pressed a few buttons, causing a beat to come out of the speakers.

 **Mirrors – Justin Timberlake**

 **Cr:Aren't you somethin' to admire? 'Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror, And I can't help but notice, You reflect in this heart of mine. If you ever feel alone and The glare makes me hard to find Just know that I'm always parallel on the other side**

 **Cr, N: 'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul, I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go Just put your hand on the glass. I'll be tryin' to pull you through You just gotta be strong.**

 **Cr, N, S: 'Cause I don't wanna lose you now I'm lookin' right at the other half of me. The vacancy that sat in my heart Is a space that now you hold. Show me how to fight for now And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy, Comin' back into you once I figured it out You were right here all along.**

 **Cr, N, S: It's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn't get any bigger With anyone else beside of me And now it's clear as this promise That we're making two reflections into one 'Cause it's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me.**

Jaune held Pyrrha in his arms as the three on stage sang a beautiful song, Pyrrha looked up a Jaune who was mouthing the words, she couldn't help but smile as he held her tighter in his arms.

 **Cr: Aren't you somethin', an original. 'Cause it doesn't seem merely assembled And I can't help but stare, 'cause I see truth somewhere in your eyes. I can't ever change without you You reflect me, I love that about you And if I could, I would look at us all the time.**

 **Cr, N: 'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul, I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go Just put your hand on the glass. I'll be tryin' to pull you through You just gotta be strong.**

 **Cr, N, S: 'Cause I don't wanna lose you now I'm lookin' right at the other half of me. The vacancy that sat in my heart Is a space that now you hold. Show me how to fight for now And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy, Comin' back into you once I figured it out You were right here all along.**

 **Cr, N, S: It's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn't get any bigger With anyone else beside of me And now it's clear as this promise That we're making two reflections into one 'Cause it's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me.**

 **N: Yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery. I can see you lookin' back at me, Keep your eyes on me. Baby, keep your eyes on me**

 **Cr, N, S: 'Cause I don't wanna lose you now I'm lookin' right at the other half of me. The vacancy that sat in my heart Is a space that now you hold. Show me how to fight for now**

 **Cl: Please show me, baby**

 **Cr, N, S: And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy, Comin' back into you once I figured it out You were right here all along.**

 **Cr, N, S: It's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me I couldn't get any bigger With anyone else beside of me And now it's clear as this promise That we're making two reflections into one 'Cause it's like you're my mirror My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me.**

The beat slows down and almost fades away.

 **All:** **You are, you are the love of my life (x10)**

 **Cr: Now you're the inspiration of this precious song And I just wanna see your face light up since you put me on  
**

 **Cr, N, S: So now I say goodbye to the old me, it's already gone  
**

 **Cr: And I can wait wait wait wait wait to get you home,Just to let you know, you are**

The beat slowly comes back up.

 **All:** **You are, you are the love of my life (x8)**

 **Cr, Cl: Girl you're my reflection, all I see is you. My reflection, in everything I do, You're my reflection and all I see is you. My reflection, in everything I do**

 **All: You are, you are the love of my life (x16)**

As the song ends, the crowd cheers wildly. The crowd could be heard cheering their name, Jaune and Pyrrha looked so happy and content. Jaune looked to Carmine and mouthed the words 'Thank You', Carmine nodded accepting his thanks. All five on stage walked to the front and bowed as the cheers continued. Neptune jumped into the crowd "Come get me ladies!" He yelled out as a crowd of women devoured him, Sun jumped in next "Wait for me!" He called out to his friend as the crowd carried him away from the stage. Carmine hopped off stage to go stand with Blake, Yang stopped him as he moved through the crowd.

"Hey Carmine, have you seen Ruby? I can't find her." Yang asked him worried, Carmine shook his head "No, I'm sure she's fine though." Carmine said. Yang was about to walk away when her scroll went off "Carmine, she's in the CCT building, 5th floor. She's chasing someone, go make sure she's ok. I know you are always packing."Yang said pointing to the tower.

Carmine pulled out his FiveSeven, pulling back the slide and chambering a round. He sprinted toward the tower, his dress shoes barely keeping traction as he neared the tower. He ripped the door open and slid to the elevator, taking it to the 5th. When the door opened, Carmine charged out and slammed up against the wall. Ruby had her Scythe drawn and ready. "Carmine, what are you doing here?" Ruby asked in a hushed tone. "I'm here to save your ass, little red." Carmine said raising his gun and turning the corner.

He rounded the corner and pointed his pistol at a woman dressed in black, he fixed it onto her head and turned the laser sight on. The beam pointed right on her forehead "Tell the devil I said Hi." Carmine said, discharging five rounds. The woman dove out of the way and hid behind a computer, Carmine circled around and fired off three more rounds, one hit her in the leg. She collapsed on the ground, allowing for Carmine to grab a hold of her.

He turned her over and pulled the mask off, revealing a set of brown and pink eyes looking at him "No, this is impossible. Where's Cinder!?" Carmine screamed putting the gun to her head. She winked and blew him a kiss before exploding into shards of glass. "Damnit!" Carmine yelled out, charging a supernova and hitting the floor, blowing a hole in the floor. As the smoke cleared, Carmine stood in the crater breathing heavily. He exhaled a cloud of steam, walking out of the crater. "So, what was that about?" Ruby asked him confused. Carmine chuckled "My past coming back to haunt me, the woman you were chasing was Cinder Fall, a terrible woman. The one I tackled was Neopolitan, she's mute and her semblance is illusions, like exploding into shards of glass to teleport somewhere else." Carmine explained as the elevator doors opened.

Ironwood, Ozpin, and Glynda stepped into the room, looking around. "We heard gunshots and an explosion, what's going on here?" Glynda asked, glaring at Carmine. "Well, I saw someone go into the CCT tower and I chased after them, Carmine came in after me." Ruby explained. "Yea, it seems we some intruders. Cinder Fall and Neopolitan, I detonated a supernova in a fit of rage but I assume you can fix it, Ms Goodwitch?" Carmine asked the woman glaring at him. She rolled her eyes, walking to fix the crater.

Carmine turned to Ironwood "You need to have your men on high alert, two of them are unconscious in the lobby." Carmine told the general as he went into the elevator, taking it down. As it went down he pulled out his scroll, he activated the black skull with red X's over its eyes. A progress bar went across the screen and a message popped up 'Virus quarantined and removed, Trojan horse deleted.' The black skull started a laughing animation, Carmine closed his scroll, a smirk grew across his face as the elevator reached the lobby.

Carmine stepped out and strolled through the door into the courtyard, making his way back to the ballroom. He entered the room as the party was still going on, he walked up to Blake "There you are, I was wondering where you went." She said hugging him, he put his arm around her. "Listen, that woman I saw the earlier, well she's not alone so be careful, okay." Carmine warned her, she nodded understanding his concern. Team JNPR approached the Carmine and Blake "Hey you two, we were gonna call it a night, these two have a lot to "talk" about." Nora said making air quotes, Pyrrha blushed and Jaune just stared oblivious with a goofy ass grin on his face.

Carmine started laughing at how oblivious Jaune was "Oh wow, he doesn't even know." Carmine said laughing, Jaune looked at him confused "What are you talking about, Carmine?" Jaune asked confused, Carmine pulled him aside and whispered into his ear, his eyes went wide "Wait you mean me and Pyrrha?" He asked nervously. "Nah mother fucker, a fucking street sign. Gods damn it, you're oblivious. Learn to read body language, bro." Carmine said patting Jaune on the back. "Hey Carmine, they want one more before we end the ball!" Laurel called from the stage.

Carmine shrugged his shoulders "Can't leave the people waiting." He told Blake, kissing her before running to the stage. He hopped up with the rest of the band and turned to face the crowd. Carmine, Celadon, Neptune, and Sun went to the front of the stage with their microphones, a huge crowd formed at the front of the stage. They could be heard cheering as the band got ready. "Seeing as how you loved the last song, we're gonna follow the same path. Enjoy." Carmine said stepping back as the beat kicked up slowly.

 **It's Gonna Be Me - *NSYNC**

 **Cl:** **It's gonna be me**

 **Cr:** **Oh, yeah**

 **Cr: You might've been hurt, babe That ain't no lie You've seen them all come and go, oh.. I remember you told me That it made you believe in No man, no cry Maybe that's why**

 **All: Every little thing I do Never seems enough for you You don't wanna lose it again But I'm not like them. Baby, when you finally, Get to love somebody Guess what, It's gonna be me..**

 **S: You've got no choice, babe But to move on, and you know There ain't no time to waste. You're just too blind (Cl: too blind), to see But in the end, ya know it's gonna be me You can't deny So just tell me why**

 **All: Every little thing I do Never seems enough for you You don't wanna lose it again But I'm not like them. Baby, when you finally, Get to love somebody Guess what, It's gonna be me..**

 **Cl: It's gonna be me**

 **Cr: Oh, yeah**

 **Cr: There comes a day When I'll be the one, you'll see.. It's gonna**

 **N: Gonna**

 **S: Gonna**

 **Cl: Gonna**

 **Cr:** **It's gonna be me**

 **All: All that I do Is not enough for you Don't wanna lose it But I'm not like that When finally (Cr: finally) You get to love Guess what (N: guess what)**

 **All: Every little thing I do Never seems enough for you (Cl: for you babe) You don't wanna lose it again (don't wanna lose it) But I'm not like them Baby, when you finally Get to love somebody (Cr: love..) Guess what (S: guess what) It's gonna be me**

 **All: Every little thing I do ( N: Oh...) Never seems enough for you You don't wanna lose it again (S: don't wanna lose it) But I'm not like them Baby, when you finally (Cr: baby when you finally) Get to love somebody, Guess what (N: guess what)**

 **Cr: It's gonna be me.**

When the song ended, the lights cut out and the stage lights cut on, leaving four silhouettes on the wall behind them. The crowd cheered as they bowed and waved to the cheering fans, roses flew on the stage as they thanked the crowd. Neptune picked one up and looked at it, he looked into the crowd and saw Weiss staring at him smiling, he winked at her causing her to blush. Sun dived off the stage "Catch me, my adoring fans!" He yelled as the crowd held him up, a group of girls tore at his shirt "Ladies! There is enough of me to go around." He said laughing. "Thank you for a wonderful night! Good Luck in the Vytal Festival, I know I'll be participating so you'll need all the luck you can get." Carmine said into the mic as the crowd started to disperse. He hopped off stage and walked up to Blake who was smiling at him "You are just full of surprises, now I see why Sapphire was head over heels for you." She said wrapping her arms around his torso. He smiled and looked up through a window into the night sky 'I'll always love you, Sapphire.' He thought to himself, as he said that to himself, a shooting star flew by in the night sky. He smiled at the idea that she heard him.

He rested his head on Blake's head "I love you, Blake Belladonna." He said to her, she rested her head on his chest "And I love you, Carmine Sabel." She said hugging him tighter. They left the ballroom hand in hand and walked to the dorms, entering the hallway. They walked to her dorm room and he was about to tell her goodnight but she stopped him "Oh no, you aren't leaving. You're coming with me." She said taking his hand and walking to his dorm room. He opened the door and was surprised to find it empty, she pushed him inside, closing and locking the door behind them. He stumbled inside but caught himself, standing up straight. He turned around but was pushed onto his bed, Blake straddling his waist and planting kisses on his neck.

He placed his hands on her waist, squeezing lightly, eliciting a moan from her. She sat up and pulled the straps of her dress off but Carmine caught them. She looked at him curiously as he put the straps back on to her shoulders "Look, I love you Blake but I'm not ready for this yet. Some old wounds were just reopened and they hurt, believe me. When I'm ready, I will wreck that. You won't be able to walk for a couple of days." He told her, apologizing. She giggled and laid her head on his chest "Take your time, Carmine. I'll be here ready when you are." She said, understanding his predicament. Carmine closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of his lover that lay on his chest. 'I promised you, Sapphire but it is so difficult.' He thought to the heavens above as a tear rolled down his cheek.

 **(AN: Wow, 13,000 Words! Hope you enjoyed this one, and remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review. Feedback helps me know what I'm doing good with and what I could have done better with. This is Nightmare 6-4 Signing Off !)**


	9. Chapter 9: A Vytal Moment Part 1

Chapter 9: A Vytal Moment part 1

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review.**

Sunlight crept through the windows of Carmine's dorm, filling the room with natural light. Blake's ears twitched as she snuggled deeper into the chest of the man she loved, Carmine pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. The entire dorm was shaken awake by the sound of a squadron of VTOLs flying by, the fly by caused everything to shake violently. Carmine shot awake, holding Blake close to him to protect her.

Blake's eyes were wide in anticipation, her arms were wrapped around his waist. The rest of the team had their weapons drawn but lowered them when Carmine addressed them "Stand down, it was just a squadron flyby. I'll speak to Ironwood about their flight altitude." Carmine said, pulling himself out of bed and stretching. Blake got into his spot and pulled the covers over herself, snuggling into his pillow and taking a deep breath in, letting out a 'mmmm' of satisfaction. Carmine looked back at his sleeping girlfriend and couldn't help but smile at her happiness.

He looked out the window at the courtyard and watched as the T-90 patrols moved through the courtyard, the Strela-10's turrets moved left to right, scanning the skies for threats. Seven Atlas soldiers moved through the courtyard with their weapon's pointed toward the ground. Carmine backed away from the window and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. He turned on the shower and let it heat up, he got undressed and stepped into the shower. The hot water hit his body and ran down to the floor, as he showered there was a knock at the door.

Celadon got out of bed and answered the door half awake "Hello?" He said groggily, an Atlas soldier stood outside the door "Uh yes, Ironwood needs to speak with Officer Sable, it is very important." The soldier said to Celadon. "Yeah, he just stepped into the shower he'll b… did you say Officer?" Celadon asked surprised "Yes sir, Officer Sable would never accept Ironwood's invitation to join Atlas so instead he is just listed as Commanding Officer Carmine Sable in the Atlas Commanding Officer Database." The soldier explained.

"Yo Celadon, who's at the door?!" Carmine shouted from the bathroom. "It's an Atlas soldier, he says that Ironwood wants to speak with you, Officer Sable." Celadon said with a shit-eating grin. Carmine just sighed "Oh, what now. I swear if they got something else stolen, I'm throwing him off the cliff," Carmine said, annoyed. Celadon spoke to the soldier and closed the door, walking back to his bed and laying back down. Carmine stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of black jeans, a white shirt with a black leather jacket over it, and his black High Top shoes. He grabbed his stuff off the desk and kissed Blake goodbye before exiting the dorm room. He made his way to Ozpin's tower, taking the elevator up to the top.

The doors opened and Carmine stepped into the office, Ironwood turned and faced Carmine "Ah, Officer Sable, I see you got my messenger?" He asked with a grin but Carmine wasn't having it. "Cut the bullshit, James. What is this about me being a commanding officer even after I declined your offer?" Carmine asked furiously. "Carmine, I had to do it so I could approve your request. You have to understand that." Ironwood pleaded with an angry Carmine. He thought for a moment "That makes sense except for the fact I'm labeled as Commanding Officer Fourth Tier!" Carmine shouted holding up his scroll showing his Atlas profile which displayed his rank next to his picture.

Ironwood fumbled with his words "Uh, the council… and the soldiers are more likely to listen to you if you're at a high rank and… The council would be more willing to fulfill your request." He said, mentally patting himself on the back for that save. "Oh, so I would have to be a high-ranking officer to have a request fulfilled and not the guy who has done all your dirty work, do you know how much blood I have on my hands? You're lucky I have a stake in this war too, but I am not another one of your soldiers that you can order around. I am a mercenary like my brothers who died fixing your mess." Carmine said furiously. Ironwood nodded in agreement.

"Now, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?" Carmine asked after calming down but Ironwood looked away "Well…." Ironwood started to say. "Oh for Fuck's sake James! Your army isn't worth two shits if they can't protect a damn train! What got stolen this time? An aircraft carrier?!" Carmine shouted, Ironwood shook his head "No, six M777 UFH Howitzers." Ironwood said, Carmine's jaw dropped. "Fucking Howitzers!?" Carmine said in disbelief. Ironwood sighed "I'm afraid that isn't all, they also stole an Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer from the harbor in Atlas, they disabled the tracking node so we have no idea where it is." Ironwood said looking down.

Carmine sighed in frustration "What am I gonna do with you, for fuck's sake, James." Carmine said placing a hand over his face. "Alright I'll take care of it but this will cost you so much more, 15 Million, no less." Carmine said with a straight face. Ironwood stared at him in disbelief then nodded "Fine." Ironwood said shaking Carmine's hand. Ozpin was quiet the whole time Carmine was yelling at Ironwood but he spoke up.

"Now that this is settled, I think the Vytal Festival is starting soon so I suggest you start training for…" He was cut off by a loud explosion and the sound of sirens "Fuck! What was that!?" Carmine shouted, running to the window to see a smoke cloud fill the sky above Vale "That came from Vale." Ironwood said surprised, Carmine just looked at him "No shit, Sherlock." Carmine shook his head before running to the elevators. As the elevator car went down, Carmine called his team "Regalia! Get the team together and arm up, something is going down in Vale." Carmine shouted running through the lobby, rushing into the courtyard.

As he walked out, three squadrons of VTOLs flew over, they broke off and flew different ways. Carmine called his locker to him and within thirty seconds it landed in front of him. He threw on his gear and sprinted toward the air dock, where his team was waiting for him. He pulled back the slide on his rifle and chambered a round into the marksman rifle, placing it on his back before walking onto a bullhead that was waiting for them.

The VTOL took off toward Vale at high speed, they reached the incident area in less than two minutes. As they flew over the city, they could see over fifty Grimm in the city and scattered gunfire coming from the dust. The VTOL touched down and team CRCL stormed out in full sprint, Carmine headed the pack and jumped into a group of Grimm and proceeded to rip them apart piece by piece. He drew his knife and plunged it into a Beowolf's throat, pulling it out and slitting another one. He tried to push deeper into the chaos but was blocked by all the dust.

He holstered his rifle and charged up both hands together, plunging them into the ground causing a large explosion. The shockwave flushed all the dust out of the city, as it cleared Team RWBY could be seen fighting Grimm but someone was missing "Hey, little red, where's Blake?" Carmine shouted to the hooded girl who sprinted to him "We thought she was with you." Ruby said confused but Regalia chimed in "She was still asleep in your bed." Regalia said, snapping a Grimm's neck.

"I'm glad she ain't here, so she won't see what I'm about to do." Carmine said leaping into the hole. He landed in one of the train cars that had a couple of WF soldiers in it, they charged at him but he gunned them down before they could reach him. He left one alive, knocking him out and dragging him back to the surface by his ankle, throwing him against a wall. The soldier came to but didn't fight when he realized he was surrounded. Carmine squatted down in front of him and grabbed his face, ripping off the mask and crushing it in his hand.

"You're gonna answer my questions or I will make you hurt in places you didn't think were possible. So, where are the Howitzers?" Carmine asked him putting his knife to his throat. "Fuck you, human trash." The WF soldier said, spitting at Carmine. Carmine chuckled "Wrong answer." Carmine said grabbing the WF soldier's hand and breaking a finger. The soldier cried out in agony as Carmine got in his face "Where are the Howitzers?!" He asked, grabbing another finger and breaking it. The WF soldier had tears in his eyes. As Carmine reached for another finger, the WF soldier pleaded with him "Wait! Wait, I'll tell you whatever you want, just please don't break another finger." He cried out in pain, tears in his eyes. Carmine let go of his hand and got right into his face "Don't even think about lying to me cause I will destroy everything you love." Carmine said, his eyes a deep shade of red.

The WF soldier adjusted himself against the wall, cradling his broken fingers. "Huh, I guess what they say about you is true, that you're ruthless and precise. The only people who know about the Howitzers are White Fang high command like Adam and his generals. They were worried that you would torture one of us so they didn't tell anyone." The WF soldier explained, looking up at a now standing Carmine who pondered the new information. "Alright, thanks for the info. You know what's gonna happen next right?" Carmine asked, the soldier nodded with a tear running down his cheek. "Sorry kid but you sealed your fate by attacking innocents." Carmine said before kicking the soldier in the throat with his boot, breaking his neck and killing him.

When he turned around Ruby, Weiss, and Yang looked horrified. They each covered their mouth in disbelief of what they saw, Ruby broke the silence "Carmine… Why? He didn't put up a fight and had surrendered." She said with sadness in her voice. Before Carmine could say anything, a voice shouted from the top of a building "Because your friend is a killer, it's all he knows. All he can do is kill, like he slaughtered a whole white fang camp." The voice said. Everyone turned to face the direction the voice came from, Cinder was standing on a roof in her red dress. "You got a lot of nerve showing up here!" Carmine yelled, stepping forward and raising his rifle. Cinder smirked "Are you gonna shoot me? An unarmed young girl who was minding her own business." She said, antagonizing Carmine who lowered his rifle.

Emerald and a silver-haired man joined her on the roof, the silver-haired man stared at Carmine, smirking. He spoke up "How's your girlfriend? Is she also dead?" The silver-haired man asked, laughing. Carmine grit his teeth and clenched his fists "Why don't you get your bitch ass down here and ask me again, I couldn't hear you behind Cinder's shadow." Carmine said pointing at the man on the roof who was furious now. He jumped off the roof and ran at Carmine, Emerald shouted at him "Mercury! You idiot, this is what he wants!" She yelled but it was futile. Carmine took off toward Mercury and tackled him, dislocating his arm immediately. Mercury howled in pain as Carmine threw him across the town square, Mercury crashed through a window. As Carmine walked toward him, he charged a Supernova in his right fist, Mercury shot a silver shot at him but missed.

Carmine threw a right superman punch, blowing Mercury into a crater in the ground. Carmine pulled off his mask and got close to the silver-haired man "That was for Blake, and this is from me." Carmine said exhaling into Mercury's face, engulfing his face in hot steam.

He could be heard screaming in pain across the town, Laurel winced a little at the noise "Good gods, when he gets revenge he goes all out." Laurel said, the group nodded in agreement. Carmine emerged from the smoke, dragging Mercury by his upper teeth, dropping him the middle of the road. He rejoined the group of people who just stared at him "You good, man?" Celadon asked, Carmine nodded. "Yeah, I've been waiting for that." He said, returning his attention to the woman in red on the roof, Emerald was collecting Mercury who had a large burn across his face. "He deserved it! Just like you do, bitch!" Carmine yelled, Cinder turned and left with Emerald and a now injured Mercury. Ruby tapped Carmine on the shoulder, he turned around to see everyone staring at him "What's up, little red?" He asked the silver eyed girl.

"What was all that about? You killed the White Fang guy then fought some guy, what is going on?!" She asked confused, Carmine nodded "Well, when I went to take Torchwick in at the dock, Mercury tried to stop me and he hurt Blake in the process. Cinder killed the girl I loved and wanted to marry so I have a vendetta with her but can't go after her cause she's undercover as a student. How bad would it look if I just suddenly killed a student from a different school? Very bad." Carmine explained. Team JNPR arrived with Team CFVY in tow, Carmine greeted them with his arms out "Oh come on guys! You missed all the fun!" Carmine said laughing. Jaune walked forward and delivered a right cross to Carmine's face, causing him to stumble backward.

Team CRCL raised their guns, focusing their aim on Jaune's head but Carmine had them stand down. "Jaune! What The Fuck! What was that for?!" Carmine asked angrily. "Cinder told us how you just attacked her teammate for no reason." Jaune said pointing at Carmine who just stared at him. "Oh son of a bitch! She was lying, he attacked first and he almost killed Blake at the docks. Please do not defend those monsters or I might be forced to put you down with them." Carmine said with anger in his voice. Pyrrha moved in front of her boyfriend "Don't you dare touch him!" She said raising her shield and sword. Yang moved in between the two teams "Let's all chill the fuck out!" She shouted, everyone backed up a bit and lowered their weapons.

"Mercury attacked first, Carmine incapacitated him. Cinder killed the girl Carmine was gonna marry years ago, her name was Sapphire." Yang explained, everyone on Team JNPR looked shocked and horrified. "We have to tell someone!" Ren said but Carmine stopped him. "No proof and even if I had evidence, they would arrest her, but I want her to burn." He said looking down for a moment. Coco walked up to the three teams, looking at Carmine "Hey cutie, you guys okay over here?" She asked, smacking Carmine on the ass but he didn't react. Laurel spoke up "Yeah, we're fine. We're just dealing with some stuff, that's all." He explained, Coco nodded "Alright, we'll be over here cleaning up." She said, winking at Carmine. She turned and walked away, Laurel just stared "Man, I hate to see her go but I love to watch her leave." Laurel said, staring at Coco's ass. Regalia slugged him the arm "Pay attention, dipshit." She shouted.

Carmine clapped his hands together "Alright, let's clean up and head back to Beacon." He said, readying his weapons. The crowd cheered and readied their weapons as well, charging at the remaining Grimm. After twenty minutes of fighting, the last Grimm fell to the ground dead. Carmine holstered his rifle and collected his team along with the other teams. Carmine pulled out an orange gun looking thing, Ruby stared at it questioningly "What's that?" She asked. Carmine shot a bright red light into the air "It's a flare gun, it's used for evacuations." He said. As he explained, a VTOL landed in the center of town. The teams piled in and made their way back to Beacon, landing in a matter of minutes. As the doors opened, a Humvee drove by, the gunner scanning the horizon for threats.

The four teams walked out onto the pavement, the ground shook as a T-90 patrol drove by the airdock. "Man, is this all Ironwoods? I thought the massive airships were overkill." Jaune asked but Carmine laughed "No Jaune, the firepower you see before you is mine! Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you my defenses for Beacon." Carmine said as two F-22's flew overhead. Ruby looked so excited "Wow! This is sooo cool, are you like a general or something?" She asked shaking with excitement. "Well, according to Ironwood I'm Commanding Officer 4th Tier, which is like one or two spots under General." Carmine explained, leading the teams back into Beacon.

"Alright, the festival starts tomorrow so I suggest you all get some sleep and pray you don't go against us." Carmine said laughing as he entered his dorm. As he closed the door Blake tackled him to the floor, biting his ear "Nyah!" She exclaimed playfully. Carmine laughed "What has gotten into you?" He asked wrapping his arms around her waist. "I need you, now!" She pleaded. Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia stepped out of the room after hearing what Blake said.

 ***Moderate NSFW (No lemon)***

Carmine stood up and picked Blake up, laying her on the bed. She pulled at his armor, trying to get it off but he stopped her. He stood up and unclipped the sides of the IBA, removing it and setting it on an armor rack in the corner. He crawled back into bed over Blake, kissing her on the lips and her neck, eliciting a moan from her. Carmine untied her bow, setting it on the nightstand beside the bed. He caressed one of her cat ears as she kissed on his neck, she unzipped his hoodie and tossed it on the floor, she placed a hand on his chest feeling his muscular chest beneath her hand. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him into a kiss. He pushed his pelvis up into hers, eliciting another moan from her.

He rested his hands on her waist and squeezed lightly "Nyah! Stop teasing me." She said kissing him on the neck, biting him playfully. He pulled at the bottom of her shirt, pulling it upward revealing a black lacy bra, he pulled the shirt off of her and hung it on the headboard. He kissed her on the lips, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, battling his tongue for dominance. He broke the kiss and kissed her neck then he kissed the valley between her breasts, she moaned from the sensation and pleasure. She pushed him off her and onto the bed, straddling his waist and unclipping her bra. She slowly pulled it off, revealing her breasts to her boyfriend. "Well… What do you think? I know they're not the biggest but…" She began to say but Carmine cut her off "Babe, they're perfect. Besides, big or small, I love them all." He said pulling her into his embrace, kissing her again.

He placed his hands on her breasts and massaged them, she arched her back in pleasure. She nearly collapsed when he pinched her nipple, she let out a somewhat audible moan. She covered her mouth immediately in fear of nearby dorms hearing her, but Carmine reassured her "Blake, it's fine. If anybody says anything about this I'll throw them off a cliff." He told her, making her giggle. She pulled the cover over them as she went downward toward the end of the bed.

* **End NSFW***

Carmine opened his eyes slowly, scanning the clothes scattered room for his team. He grabbed his boxers off the floor and slipped them on, standing up and stretching. He winced in pain when stretched his back, he walked into the bathroom and turned his back to the mirror, he saw multiple scratch marks going down his back. He chuckled at the sight "Damn Carmine, you still got it." He said to himself as he walked out of the bathroom, Blake was now awake and staring at him "Hey sexy, you were amazing last night. It was my first time so how did I do?" She asked sitting up, covering herself with the sheet. "You were fantastic, especially that thing you did with your tongue. I'm surprised I'm able to walk." He said to her, she giggled at the last part.

He tossed her bra and panties to her, she threw them on and stood up but collapsed to the ground immediately. Carmine laughed a bit "I told you that you wouldn't be able to walk after I was done with you." He said picking her up, sitting her back on the bed. "And as usual my pull out game is hella strong!" He said playfully celebrating by doing the running man, she giggled at her boyfriend's movements of celebration.

He stopped dancing and started to get dressed, pulling on his signature black jeans and black shirt. He slipped on his shoes, lacing them up. "Hey, I'm gonna go grab something from the cafeteria and bring it back here, you want anything?" He asked, adjusting his shirt. "Some fish would be great and some pancakes, watch out for Nora on the way back though." She said, warning him of the orange haired hammer wielder. "You stay here and rest up." He said kissing her goodbye and leaving the dorm.

As he walked down the dorm hall, he couldn't help but notice the pep in his step. Yang left her dorm and accompanied Carmine on his quest for pancakes "So, big night last night?" She asked nudging him. He laughed "You heard it from your dorm?" He asked but she shook her head. "We heard it from the dorm entrance and in the courtyard." She said with hand gestures. "Man, I still got it! How long did it go on for? I kinda lost track." He asked her, making her think for a moment. "I'd have to say somewhere around five hours. Are you even human?!" Yang said in disbelief. Carmine laughed and pumped his fist into the air. "Hey, check this out! Little kitty has got claws." He said lifting his shirt up. "Wow! Man, you must have been putting it down." She said looking at the scratches on his back.

"Well, when she stood up this morning she collapsed immediately." Carmine explained as they approached the cafeteria. Team JNPR was at a table, Jaune's face was on the table. Carmine and Yang approached the team "What's up with him?" Carmine asked, Jaune looked up at him "All the screaming and moaning coming from your dorm, what was all that anyway?" Jaune asked, Pyrrha tried to stop him from asking but it was too late. Carmine got down to his eye level "Well Jaune, that was the sound of a girl getting some good dick, but I doubt your dorm will ever hear that." Carmine said, Yang covered her mouth at the sudden burn. "That was for yesterday, don't ever hit me again." Carmine said patting him on the head and leaving to get breakfast for him and Blake.

He started to leave but stopped when he saw Jaune look distraught and about to storm off, he sat down his food and walked over to them. "What's going on now?" He asked, Jaune turned around and faced Carmine "You should know, you just said it." Jaune said stepping up to Carmine. "Alright fuckboi, two things. First, back the fuck up and second, it's called a burn, friends do it all the time. Also if you want to hear those noises, romance it up with your lady and she might rock your world." Carmine explained, Pyrrha blushed at the last part. He patted Jaune on the shoulder reassuring him before grabbing his food, he left the cafeteria and made his way back to his dorm.

When he opened the door, Blake was looking out the window while wearing his hoodie. "Hey sweetie, what are those?" She asked pointing a strange tank thing. Carmine looked at what she was pointing at "Oh that is a TOS-1, it's a Multiple Launch Rocket System. Able to decimate an area in a matter of minutes. There are six or seven of them here." Carmine explained wrapping his arms around her. They ate breakfast together, Carmine noticed how she looked so happy, happier than before.

After they finished eating, Blake got dressed in her clothes and let Carmine put his gear back on. He holstered his FiveSeven behind his back and his 500 on his left hip, the MP7 on the right side. He slipped his IBA back on and clipped the sides, adjusting his hoodie and shoulder pads. He grabbed spare clips and placed them in their pouches, he grabbed a speed loader for the magnum along with a sixty count box of ammo. He grabbed a pair of boots out of the closet and strapped them on, he stomped the ground twice causing a blade to come out of the front of the boot, he stomped again collapsing the knife.

After he finished gearing up, he grabbed a box from the closet and sat it on the bed. Blake came over to observe what he was doing, she noticed it had the wolf pack symbol on the front of it. He lifted the lid and revealed a black gas mask with a reflective candy apple red visor, the filter had a white biohazard symbol on it. He hooked it to his holster belt and closed the box. Carmine double checked everything on him on last time before they left the dorm. Blake and Carmine walked down the hall hand in hand until they reached her dorm room, he kissed her goodbye "I'll see you there, I love you." He said kissing her "I love you too" She said smiling, entering her dorm room. Carmine made his way to the festival grounds where his team was waiting.

Team CRCL headed for the entrance to the Colosseum but were stopped by an Atlas soldier "Stop! It's not open for another three hours, turn back or be arrested." The soldier demanded, he drew his sidearm. Carmine stepped forward "Soldier, stand down. I am Commanding Officer 4th Tier Carmine Sable and you will stand down!" Carmine demanded, the soldier holstered his pistol immediately "I am so sorry, sir. Go right ahead." The soldier said stepping aside. Team CRCL entered the Colosseum and made their way to the announcing booth, Carmine plugged his scroll into the Main System and uploaded a trojan horse into the system. A black laughing skull with red X's popped up on the screens before disappearing, he unplugged his scroll and placed it into his pocket. He sat down at the main system and started typing away, eventually finding the main roster. "Let's see, Haven Academy. Cinder. Fall. Here she is, 17 my ass." Carmine said reading here info card.

As he typed away, a black pawn popped up on the screen but it was eaten by the skull. "You gotta wake up real early to beat me, Cinder. I promised I'd destroy everything of yours." Carmine said with a smirk. "And now to back-trace the source and… there." Carmine said pulling up live camera feed, Cinder could be seen talking with Emerald and Mercury. "Emerald, I need you to make teams RWBY and JNPR hallucinate, long enough for Mercury to take them out." Cinder said instructing her minions "You have no idea how bad I want to call in a cruise missile to their location. Just need to record a little longer and…. There." Carmine said ending the recording process, saving it to his scroll. "Laurel, you know what to do. Null her semblance and chain her to… something." Carmine said, giving Laurel his orders.

Carmine unplugged his scroll, leaving the announcement box with his team in tow. As they left he handed each an earpiece and a handset "Stay on channel 4." Carmine said, putting his earpiece in. They followed suit, placing it in their ears and setting the channel feed. "One last thing, watch the skies. The only an attack could happen is by air, the Strela 10's should knock them out though. All flights have an encryption code now. If they don't answer the code, they get shot down." Carmine explained. They all nodded and went in separate directions.

Carmine sat down in one of the chairs and looked into the arena, scanning the seats. He noticed a girl with black hair and emerald green hair staring at him, she sprinted out of an exit as Carmine was standing up. "What the fuck was that about?" Carmine asked himself out loud. He left the arena and entered the festival grounds, scanning the now growing crowd. Fireworks detonated behind him, signaling the beginning of the festival. Carmine returned to the arena and climbed up into the rafters, setting up above the fighting field.

* **1 Hour Later***

Carmine was brought back to reality by the P.A. System coming on and the sound of Professor Port's voice "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the 40th annual Vytal Festival, the battles will commence shortly." Port said addressing the crowd. "First up is Team RWBY of Beacon vs Team ABRN of Haven. Will the fighters take their places." Prof… Dr. Oobleck said over the P.A. System. The battle commenced, a girl on a hoverboard charged at Blake attempting to hit her with the board.

She kicked the board at her but failed and fell to the ground, Blake drew her pistol/sword and her P226 and dumped on her, emptying both clips. The board girl's aura dropped to 5%, eliminating her. Carmine punched the air "That's my girl." He said to himself as he watched Blake and Yang eliminate two more of them. Blake remembered what she saw Carmine do and attempted recreate it, she tackled the last one to the ground and wrapped the band of her sword to his leg, Yang got behind her and they started swinging him around, eventually throwing him out of the ring. "That's it! Team RWBY has won!" Port said cheering.

"Up next is everyone's favorite team, Team CRCL of Beacon vs Team BLAK of Mistral. Will the fighters take their places." Dr. Oobleck said, Carmine hopped down from rafter to rafter until he leaped onto the ground, rolling to a stop. He joined his team, pulling out his scroll. He opened up his scroll and accessed the lighting system, dimming the lights. The crowd began to chatter in confusion until a song came over the P.A. System.

 **Ladies and Gentlemen – Saliva**

 **Ladies and Gentlemen please, would you bring your attention to me? For a feast for your eyes to see.**

Carmine and Team CRCL walked out onto the field.

 **An explosion of catastrophe. Like nothing you've ever seen before, Watch closely as I open this door. Your jaws will be on the floor, after this you'll be begging for more.**

Carmine cut off the music and undimmed the lights, they stood across from four hooded figures with bandanas over their faces. Carmine strapped on his gas mask, testing the purge function and lifting the hood. "Team CRCL is led by Carmine Sable, a former mercenary of Wolf Pack. He has para-military training and an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. He is responsible for the mini army outside, they are at his command." Professor Port said through the P.A. System. Blake cheered from the bleachers "That's my boyfriend! Give 'em hell, Carmine!" Blake cheered. "Team BLAK consists of Burgundy, Lapis, Acajou, and Kobi. There are no last names listed here." Oobleck said.

Team BLAK readied their weapons, Burgundy had on a red bandana and a UTS-15, Lapis wore a blue bandana and had an AK-12. Acajou wore a brown bandana, heavy body armor, a helmet with a face guard and a brown bandana, he had a Ameli LMG with a bullet guard. Kobi wore a pink bandana and had a G28 DMR. They had a crate behind them that looked suspicious to Carmine "I don't like the look of that crate, how did they get that through?" Carmine asked his team but they just shrugged their shoulders.

The buzzer rang, signaling the start of the match. CRCL took off in different directions as the bullets started flying, Carmine pulled out his SCAR and popped off five rounds. Acajou walked forward suppressing fire, dumping bullets out of the Ameli; he pulled out a grenade, pulling the pin and throwing it at Carmine. Carmine grabbed it and threw it back at him but it detonated midair, leaving a cloud of smoke which Carmine used as cover. Celadon climbed behind a rock and deployed the Bipod on his rifle, taking shots at Kobi, hitting her in the leg. Regalia ran through a few trees, dodging gunfire from Lapis and Kobi. She returned fire at Lapis, hitting her in the chest and abdomen.

Carmine snuck around Acajou who was searching for him, Carmine got behind him and slipped a C4 charge into a pouch on his back. Acajou swung around and kicked Carmine in the chest, knocking him backward. Acajou raised his LMG and opened fire but Carmine got out of the way, pulling out the detonator and triggering the charge, blowing Acajou out of the ring. "Boom! Acajou is out!" Port said in his booming voice.

Carmine stood up and charged at Burgundy who was sweeping through some trees, tackling him to the ground and hitting him in the chest but Burgundy hit him in the side with a knee. Carmine stood up and stepped back, Burgundy hopped up and holstered his UTS, raising his fists. Carmine rushed him, hitting him in the side and the chest, thrusting his knee into his gut. Burgundy drew a pistol from his holster and attempted to shoot Carmine, but he stopped him by grabbing the gun and ejecting the clip. Burgundy grabbed the barrel and used it as a hammer, swinging at Carmine.

As Carmine fought Burgundy, Acajou climbed back into the arena "What's this!? Acajou has climbed back into the arena, what is he doing?!" Port shouted over the P.A. System. Acajou ran over to the crate and kicked off the cover of the crate, pulling out a large gun and a tripod. He placed the tripod on a rock and mounted the gun, attaching a box mag and loading the chain of ammo. Carmine kicked Burgundy in the knee, dropping him to the ground and kneeing him in the face. Carmine turned around in time to see Acajou loading the large gun, he pressed his comms "Guys! They got M85 HMG, get behind cover." Carmine shouted as Acajou fired the .50 cal BMG HMG, the bullets ripping through the trees like paper.

Carmine hopped behind a rock as the bullets followed him, he pulled out a smoke grenade, pulling the pin and tossing it over the rock. The grenade exploded into a cloud of smoke, Carmine sprinted to the left as the bullets sprayed everywhere. He holstered his SCAR and pulled out his Ithica 37, cocking it and sprinting at Acajou. He slid behind him and popped off a round into his back, blood sprayed everywhere as Acajou fell lifeless. "Good lord! Acajou is… dead. Stop the match!" Oobleck shouted over the P.A. System. A buzzer sounded as Atlas soldiers stormed the field, Kobi shot and killed two soldiers as they came on the field. Laurel ran at Kobi, suppressing her aura with his semblance and shooting her in the chest, ripping her chest open.

Celadon lined up his sights with Lapis as Laurel ran behind her, suppressing her aura. Celadon shot her in the head, the bullet ripping through her brain and spraying blood everywhere. Atlas soldiers surrounded everyone, handcuffing Carmine, Celadon, and Laurel. They picked up an unconscious Burgundy and dragged him out of the arena. Ironwood walked out onto the field, furious "What the hell was that, Sable!?" Ironwood shouted at Carmine. "Sir, they were here to kill us. That HMG would have ripped us apart. It was either kill or be killed, you can ask Burgundy over there." Carmine said gesturing toward the unconscious one. Atlas let team CRCL go, they followed Ironwood out of the arena as the crowd murmured as the left. "Uh, I guess Team CRCL wins. It seems Team BLAK was here to kill CRCL. We need time to clean up the field so we are gonna take a thirty-minute break." Port said over the speakers.

Carmine walked into the office with Ironwood and Burgundy, they placed Burgundy in a chair and strapped him to the chair. Carmine slapped him awake "Wake up, fucker! Who hired you?!" Carmine shouted, Burgundy spat at him "I ain't telling you shit!" Burgundy said in disgust. Carmine drew his fist back but Ironwood stopped him "Let us take care of this, you go." Ironwood said, dismissing Carmine and locking the door behind him. Carmine exited the office area and rejoined his team, he filled them in with the information. They met up with RWBY and JNPR who were eating at a stand, Blake had a bowl of fish in front of her. "What up, fuckers?!" Carmine said enthusiastically, the two teams greeted him and his team. "I can't believe that happened, how were they able to get in?" Jaune said shaking his head.

"Well, it doesn't matter, three of the four of them are dead now. I'm starving." Carmine said, sitting down next to Blake who hugged him tightly "Love you!" She said holding Carmine. Carmine looked over the other members of RWBY and saw that Ruby was looking down at the counter "What's up little red?" Carmine called out to Ruby, she looked over at Carmine "Those students died, how can you look so okay with it?!" She asked tearfully. "Ruby, those were not students, they were mercenaries hired to kill me. The HMG was military grade." Carmine said putting Ruby's mind at ease.

"So, who would hire someone to kill you?" Yang asked, eating a bowl of noodles. "Well, there's a lot of people who want me dead. Cinder, Adam Taurus, all of the White Fang." Carmine said counting on his fingers. "Y'all still hungry? Aye shopkeep, a large bowl of your best noodles and put some steak in it. Thanks bud." Carmine said to the chef at the stand. Within minutes, there was a giant hot bowl of noodles and steak in front of him. Carmine handed him a black card with gold writing on it, the shopkeep took it and swiped it, handing it back to Carmine. "Is that a black card?" Weiss asked wide-eyed. Carmine laughed "Yes, yes it is. Are you surprised?" Carmine asked chuckling. "You having a black card, yes that is surprising." Weiss said with sass.

Carmine put the card back into his wallet and the wallet into his pocket, digging into his bowl of noodles. As he ate, he noticed Pyrrha had her head on Jaune's arm, holding him it tightly. "So, you two seem happy, did Mr. Oblivious finally come around?" Carmine asked, eating a slice of steak. "Yes, and it's all thanks to you, Carmine." Pyrrha said, thanking the rifleman. "Hey, anytime!" Carmine said, accepting her praise. He felt Blake tighten her grip around his waist, he looked down at her "You seem more happy than usual, what's up?" Carmine asked putting his arm around her, she looked up at him "Oh, you know why I'm so happy. How's your back doing? Did you have Regalia patch it up?" She asked him with a giggle.

"It's fine and no, I didn't because I want to remember this. Hell, how could I ever forget it." Carmine said, making her blush. Ruby spoke up "Was all that pounding and screaming you guys? What were you two doing anyway?" She asked innocently, Carmine's eyes shot open wide. "Uhhh… We… were watching a horror movie and I was training her for the festival. Yeah, that's what happened." Carmine said, patting himself on the back for his quick thinking. Ruby looked at him in suspicion "Hmm, you're lying. Tell me!" She demanded, Yang interrupted her "Uh, Ruby, want to go get some cookies?!" She asked, Ruby immediately switched her focus. Ruby and Yang ran off into the festival, everyone exhaled a sigh of relief.

Carmine finished his noodles, sliding his bowl toward the shopkeep. He fished out a hundred lien and handed it to the shopkeep who graciously accepted it. The teams got up and walked into the festival grounds, getting praise from festival goers about his match. They made their way to the dock areas where people collected, they ran into Velvet who was taking pictures of people's weapons. "Hey Velvie, whatcha up to?" Carmine asked as they approached her. "Oh, hey Carmine, Ruby, Blake and uh… everyone else." She said nervously, she took a picture of Carmine's rifle. "Uh, what was that about?" He asked confused. "Oh, how rude of me. My weapon is this camera, it documents any weapon I take a picture of, like your rifle for instance." Velvet explained. Carmine laughed a little "Well, it looks like you need to come by my armory, you'll have a field day there." Carmine said, gesturing to the rest of his team to present arms.

They held out their guns for her to photograph, one by one she cataloged them all. "Thanks guys, that really helps!" Velvet said enthusiastically. All of a sudden, they heard a lot of commotion from a crowd. They ran over to see a man and a woman squaring off, she had white hair and the look of nobility. He had a cape and a giant ass sword, he looked like a mess. Carmine stepped forward into the crowd "Specialist Schnee, what is the meaning of this?!" He yelled. She stood at attention, saluting him "Colonel, I didn't see you there, what brings you here?" She asked terrified. "It's Commanding Officer 4th Tier now. I'm here because I go here, what are you doing here?" Carmine asked the Specialist. "I'm here at Ironwood's request, I'm also here to check on my sister, Weiss." The Specialist said, gesturing to Weiss. "Winter! It's so good to see you!" Weiss exclaimed happily, hugging her sister. Winter looked at her sister in disapproval "What do you think you are doing?" Winter asked her sister, making her back up. "My dearest apologies, Winter. It's just so good to see you." Weiss said with a curtsy, Winter looked away.

"So does anyone want to tell me what the HELL is going on here?" Carmine asked raising his voice. Winter began to fumble with her words "Uh eh… I'm just… uh… dealing with this drunk, sir." Winter said, Carmine turned his attention to the swordsman "And who the hell are you?!" Carmine asked, Ruby rushed past him and attached herself to the swordsman "UNCLE QROW!" She exclaimed happily. "Wait, Qrow as in Qrow Branwen?" Carmine asked, Qrow nodded in agreement. Carmine walked up to him and extended his hand "It is good to finally meet you sir, I'm Carmine Sable." Carmine said shaking Qrow's hand whose eyes have gone wide. "Wait, Carmine Sable of Wolf Pack?! Kid, you're a legend!" Qrow said shaking his hand. Carmine waved it off "Oh, I was just doing my job." Carmine said shrugging his shoulders.

"So Winter, What are you doing here?" Weiss asked her sister. "Classified." Winter said coldly, Weiss looked slightly pained by her response. "Ok, so how long are you staying for?" Weiss asked happily again and again Winter responded coldly "Classified." Winter replied to her sister. Carmine got fed up with Winter's attitude "Winter! Cut the bullshit high and mighty act, it's your fucking sister! Weiss, she'll be here until the tournament is over. As to why she is here, well that one I don't know." Carmine said to Weiss, who looked happy for his statement. "Thank you, Carmine." Weiss said thanking the rifleman.

"Specialist Schnee is here because she is in charge of all of Ironwood's tin soldiers, they're pathetic. She doesn't want to say why she's here so she seems more official and special." Qrow said gesturing to Winter. "Well, it's in the title after all." Winter replied with sass. Qrow rips the head off one of the Atlesian Knight's, tossing it to her feet "See, tin soldiers. I can rip these apart all day." Qrow said pushing over the headless robot, Winter drew her sword "You wanna go, you drunk?!" Winter asked, taunting Qrow. Qrow drew his large sword and readied it "I'm not drunk." He said matching swords with a clink. Winter strikes at Qrow who blocks, parrying and attempting to sweep her legs. Winter leaped back and uses a glyph to thrust herself forward, sword aimed right for Qrow's throat. As she gets closer, Carmine drew his rifle and changed it into its sword form. He leaped in between Qrow and Winter, raising his sword and blocking her strike.

As Carmine blocked her strike, the ground cracked underneath him and collapsed. A voice roared behind them "SCHNEE!" Ironwood yelled, accompanied by Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch. Winter dropped to one knee, her sword on the ground "I am so sorry, sir. This is all my fault, are you hurt?" Winter asked Carmine, apologizing for her actions. "You should be sorry, that was unprofessional and dangerous. What if you injured one of the students or a civilian got hurt? It would be horrible!" Carmine shouted, berating the specialist. "Sable! That's enough!" Ironwood said, calling Carmine down. Carmine withdrew his sword, returning it to its rifle form and placing it on his back. He stepped out of the hole and walked back to his team, collecting them and walking toward Ironwood "You settle this, now!" Carmine said, gritting his teeth in frustration. He walked away, bumping into his shoulder as he left the courtyard.

The other teams joined him as he left for the Colosseum, they entered the arena and filled a row of seats. As they sat down, the match between Coco/Yatsuhashi vs Mercury/Emerald went on. Coco used her Gatling gun to destroy the trees of cover. Mercury and Emerald were nowhere to be seen, Coco looked all around trying to find them. Suddenly, Mercury attacked Coco from the air, delivering multiple hits on her. Yatsuhashi attempted to attack Mercury but he just stopped and started looking around like was lost, Emerald attacked him from behind, leaping around and draining his aura. Emerald eliminated Yatsuhashi with no problem, changing her focus to Coco, peppering the heavy gunner with a spray of bullets. Mercury grabs her attention by throwing some punches at her, giving Emerald a window to get behind her, she drew her pistol back and hit her in the back of the head, ending the match. The buzzer sounded the end of the match, Mercury and Emerald stood victorious in the arena, Mercury put his foot down hard on Yatsuhashi's gut as he took in the victory.

Carmine stared at him, squinting his eyes in wonderment but was brought out of his gaze of anger by Professor Port on the P.A. System "What a match! Up next we have our crowd favorite: Carmine/Laurel of Team CRCL vs Blake/Yang of Team RWBY. Fighters, take your places." Port shouted in excitement. Carmine's eyes went wide in the realization of what this meant, he's gonna have to fight his girlfriend, he looked over to Blake who looked equally as shocked. Carmine got up with Laurel and made their way to the arena entrance, standing behind the heavy doors. Laurel looked at Carmine who looked visibly shaken "Hey man, are you alright? We can throw the match so you don't have to fight her." Laurel said patting Carmine on the back.

Carmine shook his head and pulled out his scroll "I'm gonna make a roster change." Carmine said, tapping away at his scroll. A few minutes later the P.A. System came on again "There seems to be a roster change. Now going against Carmine/Laurel is Cardin/Dove, fighters take your places!" Port said updating the arena. "I got no problem beating down this pussy." Carmine stated, readying his rifle.

The door opened and Carmine/Laurel ran out onto the field, the crowd went wild cheering them on. Cardin/Dove came out to a lot of boos, Cardin looked disgusted by Carmine standing before him "Hey bitch boy, now we can go all out and I can really wreck your shit!" Carmine shouted at Cardin. Oobleck came over the P.A. System "Now this has never been done before in the history of the Vytal Festival, there must be a glitch in the system but these two teams look ready to go so let this be a good match." Oobleck explained as the buzzer sounded.

Cardin charged at Carmine, swinging his mace at the rifleman who hopped out of the way, slapping Cardin across the face. Cardin growled in frustration, spinning around and swinging again at Carmine who blocked it, kneeing Cardin in the gut and elbowing him in the back. Cardin punched Carmine in the side, causing him to falter and move sideways.

Laurel was busy fighting Dove with his weapons, his stryker on his back, he had two serrated machetes, the handles resembled Glock 40s, the slides were the handles and the grips were the handguards. Laurel swung his machetes down at Dove who blocked with his sword, firing a round off at Laurel who blocked the shot, he transformed the machetes into their pistol form and opened fire at Dove, hitting him multiple times in the chest. Laurel quickly switched to his stryker and put two in Dove's chest, draining his aura.

"And like that Dove is eliminated, now it's up to Carmine to finish it!" Port exclaimed over the P.A. System. Carmine kicked Cardin across the face, following it up with a roundhouse and another spinning roundhouse, knocking Cardin to the ground. The crowd went ballistic "Oh My Gods! A 540 Roundhouse from Carmine, how is Cardin still standing?!" Oobleck exclaimed, Carmine stepped back as Cardin stood up, wobbling a bit "Finish it!" Laurel called from the side. Carmine ran forward and delivered a flying front kick, the second hit connecting with Cardin's jaw and sending him back into a boulder, collapsing defeated.

"There you have it ladies and gentlemen, Carmine and Laurel are the winners of the doubles portion of the tournament. Carmine will be moving on to the singles portion, congratulations fighters!" Port exclaimed over the speakers. Carmine and Laurel waved to the cheering crowd as they left the arena and entered the locker room, Blake tackled him excitedly "NYAH! I'm so happy we didn't have to fight each other!" She said, biting his neck lightly. He pulled her into a hug "Love you too, Blake." He said hugging her tightly. She let go of him and he stood up, brushing off his IBA and adjusting his holsters, he picked Blake up bridal style, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He carried her out into the stands, rejoining the rest of his friends and team "Wow, you really kicked his ass!" Yang said pumping a fist into the air.

"I told him we could go all out during the fight, that's what I did." Carmine said sitting down with Blake in his lap. The P.A. System kicked on again "And that concludes the Doubles portion of the tournament. Let's get round 3 underway, first up is Yang Xiao Long vs Mercury Black. Fighters take your places." Oobleck said over the P.A. system. Yang stood up and punched her fists together "Oh Yeah, let's do this! Wish me luck, Car…" Yang began to say, turning to Carmine but he was gone. "Wait, where did he go!?" She asked confused but her question was soon answered as the combat doors opened, Mercury stepped into the ring and readied himself. Carmine walked out of the other door, the crowd gasped in surprise. "What is this?! Carmine is fighting instead of Yang, is substitution even legal?" Port asked bewildered, Oobleck drank from his mug and spoke into the microphone "As long as the subbing student is from the same school, it is legal." Oobleck said calmly, adjusting his glasses.

"Sup fucker, remember me? Yeah, I'm surprised to see you in this competition, I'd figure you'd kill everyone else." Carmine said, taunting Mercury. Mercury growled angrily "Shut up, dog!" He snarled. Carmine pointed to his legs "So, anyone else know about your augmentation? Yeah, I noticed the day we fought at the dock and I think I'm gonna set your pants on fire." Carmine said, slipping on his gas mask. Carmine clenched his right fist and charged a supernova as the timer ticked down, 5…4…3…2…1… The buzzer sounded, Mercury charged at Carmine and dished out a flurry of kicks.

Carmine blocked the attacks, parrying them with a right hook. The supernova detonated on impact, sending Mercury flying across the arena, he shot two shots out of his legs and flipped himself over, skidding to a stop. Carmine pulled out a large red canister, pulling the pin and tossing it at Mercury, it slid across the floor and exploded into a ball of fire, setting his clothes on fire. Mercury worked on patting the fire out on his shirt but didn't notice his pants were engulfed in flames. Carmine laughed "Liar Liar, Pants on Fire!" Carmine chanted, Mercury looked down to see his pants legs had burned off "Oh my, Mercury Black's legs are metal!" Port said in observation. Mercury growled furiously, charging at Carmine and shooting a cluster of silver shots at him with his boots. Carmine dodged the shots except for one that hit him in the gut, Carmine landed and held his gut "Mother Fucker!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, did that hurt?" Mercury asked sarcastically, Carmine looked up "Not at all, I just hope this doesn't stain." Carmine said flipping him off and pointing at him. Mercury looked over to Emerald and nodded, she nodded back; touching her temple. Carmine delivered a right cross to Mercury's face, sending him to the ground "Pay attention, bitch!" Carmine said, kicking him in the ribs. Carmine pulled out his 500 Magnum and cocked the hammer back, pointing it at Mercury. As he aimed, Mercury started to disappear and reappear all over the arena, Carmine reholstered the magnum and raised both his fists "Alright, you wanna play that game, we'll play it!" Carmine shouted, charging up both of his fists. The crowd watched as Carmine stood there for five minutes, charging his fists up. Celadon shouted from the crowd "Carmine! He's behind you!" Carmine looked up and punched his fists together, there was a large flash of light and a heavy shockwave as fire and black smoke erupted from the arena, the Colosseum shook as the explosion went off. Mercury was sent flying across the arena and into a wall, knocking him out and eliminating him "Wow! Look at that explosion! Mercury Black has been eliminated and Carmine Sable has won!" Oobleck exclaimed over the speakers.

Carmine stood in a scorched circle as the smoke cleared, revealing Carmine to the audience. They cheered loudly as Carmine stood there, panting; Carmine fell to his knees then collapsed on the floor. "Good lord, someone get a stretcher!" Port shouted through the speakers. Team CRCL stormed the field, coming to a stop beside their unconscious leader. Blake joined them, sliding to her knees beside him; she gently removed the mask and leaned back as steam shot from his mouth, making a hissing noise. Regalia held her hands up as they started to glow purple, she placed a hand on his chest and focused her aura into his chest. Celadon pulled out his scroll and watched as his aura level began to rise, she stopped when he had about 35%, Carmine slowly opened his eyes and was met with a pair of amber eyes looking back at him.

"Did I die, cause all I see is an angel." Carmine said smiling at Blake who giggled and hugged him. Laurel and Celadon pulled him to his feet, brushing him off and adjusting his gear "Bro, you never told us that your semblance drains your aura!" Celadon said, obviously worried about his best friend. "It can but it doesn't all the time, if I do a large detonation, like even bigger than that, it can bring it down low." Carmine explained, putting his arms around Celadon and Laurel as the escorted him off of the field. He let go and stood up straight, walking to his locker and taking off his gear. Carmine closed the door and slipped on his street clothes, putting on his shoes and leaving with his friends.

Carmine sat down and layed his head back "Oh, I'm exhausted! I should be good to go in thirty minutes, I kept seeing things like he disappeared and reappeared." Carmine explained. "You too?" Coco asked as she walked up "We saw the same thing and I think it's the girl with the green hair." Coco explained, Carmine nodded in agreement. "Anyways, I'm gonna rest a bit. Wake me up when the next round starts." Carmine said resting his head on Blake's shoulder, she ran her hand through his hair "Good night, cutie." She said softly, kissing him on the head.

 **(AN: Thus concludes part one of the Vytal Festival "arc". Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, every review helps, no matter how small. And no, there will be no lemon, ever. As always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off!)**


	10. Chapter 10: A Vytal Moment Part 2

Chapter 10: A Vytal Moment Part 2

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review. (It's Car-Mine like from Gears of War)**

Blake shook Carmine as he slept, his head rested on her shoulder "Babe, wake up! They're about to announce the next match!" Blake said excitedly, Carmine shot up as the crowd cheered. As his eyes adjusted, Professor Port announced the next match "Our next match will be between Pyrrha Nikos of Beacon and Penny Polendina of Atlas. Fighters, take your places" Port said through the PA system.

Pyrrha stood up and kissed Jaune on the lips, she made her way to the arena entrance. The four teams watched as the cameras captured the two fighters, projecting them onto the screens as the doors opened and they walked out into the arena, standing across from each other. Pyrrha readied her sword and shield, five swords came out of Penny's back and floated above her.

The buzzer sounded as the two fighters charged at each other, Penny swung her blades at Pyrrha who blocked with her shield and countered, slashing at her leg but she leaped out of the way. She landed on her hands, flipping over and sliding backward. Her swords came in front of her and charged a plasma beam, the green beam shot out at Pyrrha who rolled out of the way and formed her sword into a rifle, popping off five rounds at the orange-haired girl who blocked four of the five rounds, the fifth one hitting her in the abdomen. She winced and readied her blades again, raising the blades above her, Pyrrha looked petrified and stepped backward wide-eyed.

Penny plunged her swords at Pyrrha, the swords flew at her causing her use her semblance. The swords and wires glowed black, flying back at Penny. The wires wrapped around her body and sound of crunching metal rang out through the arena, the crowd gasped and the four teams shot up. The wires ripped through Penny's body, ripping her arm off and cutting her in half. "Penny!" Ruby cried out as Carmine leaped over the railing and sprinted toward the arena entrance door, forcing it open and running to Pyrrha and a now deceased Penny.

"There were so many swords, I was trying to defend myself." Pyrrha said to Carmine who knelt before her, Carmine placed his hands on her shoulders "Pyrrha, it was an accident." He said, trying to comfort her. "Cut the feed!" Oobleck shouted into his earpiece but the broadcast team was locked out. Port spoke through the PA "Everyone, remain calm. Please, exit in an orderly fa.." He was cut off by static and a female voice.

"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil."

The voice continued "What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a mercenary being a student here, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. This mercenary has killed hundreds of people in the name of justice but he gets paid thousands of lien." Carmine gritted his teeth at the sudden realization of who the voice belonged to, accompanied by a black queen chess piece taking over every screen in the Colosseum.

Cinder continued her speech "Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves."

Carmine stood up and pulled out his scroll, tapping on it a few times as she spoke "As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?" Cinder finished her speech as a black skull ate the queen chess piece.

Carmine brought his scroll close to his face and began to speak "That was a great speech Cinder, really felt moved and ready to kick your ass. So, you say that I've killed hundreds of people, but you didn't mention the fact that they were gonna kill innocent civilians. Oh wait, I forgot that you're the one behind all of these attacks, so let me ask you something: How does it feel to be a subordinate?" Carmine asked with a chuckle, putting his scroll into his pocket.

Just then a giant Nevermore landed on the roof of the arena and attempted to break through, it slammed its beak against the forcefield over and over. Suddenly, thirty missiles impacted the side of the giant bird, engulfing it in a ball of fire. As the smoke cleared, the bird's body started to vaporize and disappear; Carmine heard chatter in his ear "Threat neutralized, sir." The voice said. Carmine helped Pyrrha to her feet and led her out of the arena, as they exited they were met by every fighter that had been in the competition thus far. "Alright guys and girls, are you ready to take the fight to them?" Carmine asked, summoning his locker.

The crowd cheered as dozens of other lockers impacted the arena, Carmine got his gear out of the locker and readied his rifle, placing it on his back along with his pistol grip shotgun, MP7, S&W 500, and assorted munitions. He grabbed his gas mask and hooked it on his holster belt, he sheathed his Ka-Bar and shut the locker door. He turned around to see the other huntsmen and huntresses in training standing there, weapons in hand and ready for action "Ready when you are, hot stuff." Coco said with a wink, Blake glared at her. She walked over to Carmine and wrapped her arms around his neck "Good luck." Blake said, kissing him on the lips.

They were interrupted by the sound of gunfire and explosions in the distance "Looks like the party has arrived. Let's go!" Carmine shouted as he ran toward the nearest exit, the others followed him. When they got outside the sight was apocalyptic, flak and gunfire ripped through the sky. "Dropship delta-niner, what is your clearance code?" A radio operator asked through the comm system but nobody answered the hails "Dropship delta-niner, come in!" The operator shouted into the headset, but again there was no answer. Carmine walked over to the operator and placed a hand on his shoulder "Shoot it down." Carmine said, banging on the roof of a nearby Strela-10. A missile shot out of the battery and flew towards the dropship, impacting the ship; blowing it out of the sky.

The ship plunged from the sky with a trail of smoke and fire following it, the ship crashed into the ground below Beacon and exploding into a ball of fire. Suddenly more dropships appeared on the horizon, the Strela batteries let out a barrage of missiles that screamed across the sky and impacted the dropships. Many of the ships evaded the incoming missiles and landed in the courtyard, the doors opening and releasing White Fang foot soldiers into the Academy. The DShKs ripped into the troops, as one of the soldiers ran out a few bullets blew open his chest cavity and spilling out his entrails, he collapsed onto the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Other WF soldiers stepped on his body and in his blood as they ran into battle, the blood splashing onto their pants legs. Gunfire was exchanged from both sides as Teams CRCL, RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY charged into battle.

Carmine dropped three soldiers and elbowed another in the throat, breaking his windpipe. Laurel drew his machetes and proceeded to cut into WF, transforming them into their pistol form and opening fire on the soldiers. Grimm leaped from dropships overhead, attacking Atlas soldiers that were fighting WF; a Beowolf bit into an Atlas soldier, ripping his arm from his body. Carmine quickly shot the Grimm and went to the soldier's aid, kneeling down but he was too late. He closed the soldier's eyes and stood up, re-entering the battle. Ironwood stepped forward, engaging a few griffons with his revolver "You have two choices. Defend your Kingdom and your school... or save yourselves. No one will fault you if you leave." Ironwood said gesturing toward the docks where bullhead awaited to evac the students.

"I'm not leaving until I have Cinder under my boot, sir." Carmine stepping forward and attaching his gas mask. "If you're not leaving, then we aren't either." Celadon said, stepping forward with Laurel and Regalia. "We aren't leaving either." Ruby said with Yang, Blake, and Weiss behind her. "Alright, those who want to leave, evac is that way. Everyone else, follow me." Ironwood said, turning toward the battle.

Two T-90s tore across the courtyard; Carmine took off sprinting toward them, as he closed in on one he used a rock as leverage to propel himself forward, leaping onto one of the tanks and manning the mounted HMG, cocking the bolt "Get Some, Fuckers!" Carmine shouted as he lit up a WF dropship, the bullets ripped through the body of the ship, painting the walls red. The ship plummeted to the ground, bursting into flames, he focused his fire on another ship but this one was prepared.

The side door opened and an M134 Minigun began to spin "Oh Fuck!" Carmine shouted as bullets ricocheted off the tank armor, the main cannon focused and shot a HE shell into the ship, it exploded midair and it's burning body crashed into the ground. As he rips through the WF, a tremor shakes the school, Carmine stops firing as he feels the tremor "What the fuck was that?" He asks, pressing his earpiece. "We don't know sir, but whatever it was, it was huge." Celadon said through the headset. The T90 moved through the courtyard, the tank tracks crushing the fallen bodies beneath them.

"Griffons, 4 o'clock high!" The tank operator called out. Carmine focused his fire upward, ripping into the flying Grimm. Laurel came through Carmine's earpiece "Sir, Blake and Yang just took off back into Beacon. I tried to stop them but they were too fast." Laurel said, Carmine sighed and pounded on the roof of the tank which came to a stop "Thanks guys, good luck!" Carmine said to the operators as he closed the hatch and leaped off the tank.

He equipped his Scar and sprinted toward Beacon, eliminating Grimm along the way until he reached the cafeteria, he tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Sir, move out of the way." A voice came through his earpiece, he turned around to the tank cannon pointed at him. He ran and slid out of the way as the tank fired, blowing the door and wall away. He stood up and dusted himself off before shooting a thumbs up to the tank, the tank turned its turret to the front and moved on. Carmine moved through the rubble into the cafeteria, the room was on fire and was littered with debris. Carmine saw student laying on the ground, he rushed to his aid and checked for a pulse; he dragged him outside and radioed for backup, in a matter of minutes a Humvee skidded to a stop.

He loaded the student into the back and smacked the side of it, it drove off as he went back inside. Carmine raised his rifle as he moved through the destroyed building, all the entrances were blocked so he walked up to a ball. He placed his rifle on his back and clapped his hands together, charging both of his hands and placing them on the wall. He detonated the charges and blew a hole in the wall, Carmine stepped through the hole and was met with a familiar face. 'Adam Taurus is here too, oh this is gonna be good.' Carmine thought to himself.

He got behind a fallen column to stay hidden as he watched the man stand there, the man spoke up "Running away again? Is that what you've become, my love? A coward?" Adam said, Carmine looked over to see who he was talking to, his eyes went wide when he saw Blake standing there. "Why are you doing this?" She asked, Adam chuckled "You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were destined to light the fires of revolution!" He said as he drew his sword and pointed it at an Atlas student's chest and prepared to stab him but Blake charged at him with her sword "I'm… Not…Running!" She yelled, he kicked her in the chest and sent her back "You will. But not before you suffer for your betrayal." Adam said as he walked toward her.

"This could've been our day! Can't you see that!?" He said as walked toward her "I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!" Blake said as she backed up "What you want is impossible!" Adam yelled, Carmine stepped out from where he was "It's only impossible when psychopaths like you ruin it for everyone. You see, what you're doing is cementing their preconceived notions of what the white fang is." Carmine said.

Adam turned around "You." Adam said gritting his teeth, Carmine just waved at him "What's up, fuckface? You ready to get wrecked?" Carmine asked as he reloaded his Scar. "We were having a private conversation with my love here, so if you could go die somewhere that would be great." Adam said as he turned to Blake again but Carmine just sighed "You see, that's the thing. I can't leave until I have your head in a bag. Also, she wasn't screaming your name last night so I don't know what you're talking about, fuckboy." Carmine said with a chuckle.

Adam runs at Carmine who drove a knee into his chest then elbowed him in the jaw. Adam winced and stumbled backward but caught himself, drawing his sword and spinning it around to seem intimidating. Carmine rolled his eyes and drew his 500 magnum, putting two in Adam's chest, the swordsman collapsed onto the ground. "Stop showing off." Carmine said holstering his revolver and walked over to his girlfriend, he knelt down beside her "You ok? Are you hurt?" He asked checking on her but she shook her head "No, I'm fine. Are you hur… Carmine behind you!" Blake yelled as Adam raised his sword to swing, Carmine kicked him in the chest and sent him backward.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Carmine said as he readied himself for combat. Adam sheathed his sword and stood across from Carmine "Why don't you come find out." Adam said, beckoning Carmine toward him. Carmine charged with his own sword drawn and swung, Adam drew his sword with a single swing. Carmine walked behind him and turned around to look at Adam "Is that all you got?" He asked as he fell to his knees, collapsing to the ground. "Now, my love, where were we?" Adam asked sheathing his sword.

"Oh yea, And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." Adam said, gesturing toward Carmine who laid in a pool of his own blood. Yang's voice rang out through the rubble "Blake!" She called out, trying to find her friend. "I think I'll start with her." Adam said with a smirk as he stabbed Blake in the abdomen, causing her to shriek in pain. Yang turned toward the noise and saw Adam standing over Blake, and a possibly dead Carmine. "Don't you touch her!" Yang screamed out, bursting into flames, her lilac eyes now red.

She charged at Adam, Blake tried to tell her to stop but it was too late. She leaped through the air and cocked her gauntlet, Adam unsheathed his sword and swung, cutting her right arm off. Yang rolled to a stop near Carmine, Adam readied his sword to end her but Blake moved between Yang and Adam "Why must you hurt me, Blake?" Adam asked frowning.

"Because… Fuck You… That's why." Carmine said, picking himself up slowly. He fell to his knee again but pulled out his scroll, slowly typing and making a call "Target my location, bring Daisy." Carmine said weakly, dropping his scroll. Adam turned to face Carmine, he walked over to the rifleman and placed his sword to Carmine's neck "Was it worth it?" Adam asked, Carmine chuckled "Yea, just had to distract you long enough." Carmine said, Adam turned to see that both Blake and Yang were gone. "Damnit, well at least I get to kill you." Adam said raising his sword, but Carmine stopped him "Wait, there's someone I want you to meet." Carmine said weakly, Adam lowered his sword "Who?" He asked.

Just then two C-137's flew over and dropped two large items with parachutes. "Her name is Daisy. Daisy Cutter." Carmine said laughing as the bombs impacted the ground, engulfing everything in fire. The blast destroyed what was left of the cafeteria and ripped the trees from the ground, the grass turned to ash.

 **Meanwhile at the air docks**

Blake and Yang lay on the ground, Blake held Yang's hand as she cried "I'm sorry, Yang." She said crying. Regalia walked over to her "Blake, where's Carmine?" She asked, Blake shook her head and started to cry worse as two C-137's flew overhead. The ground shook violently as smoke and fire filled the sky above where the cafeteria is or was. Blake spoke through her tears "He made that call, he gave us time to get out." Blake said sobbing. Regalia used her aura to patch Blake's wound before she collected Celadon and Laurel, they took a Humvee toward the blast zone. Charred bodies littered the ground as they neared the drop point. The Humvee came to a stop and they got out, they pushed into the burning ruins, Carmine's ash-covered body laid in the middle, Regalia ran over to him and placed two fingers on his throat "Fuck! His pulse is weak, cover me." She said as she focused her aura on the major wound.

Celadon and Laurel secured the area around them, placing C4 and IEDs as they scanned for potential threats. Regalia maintained her aura on the wound on his chest, it slowly closed up. She moved her attention over his heart, focusing her aura into his chest. She slammed her fist down onto his chest, causing him to shoot up and gasp for air. "Oh fuck, that hurt." Carmine said as he opened his eyes, Regalia helped him stand up, he dusted himself off and fixed his IBA.

Carmine looked around for Adam's body but couldn't find one "Damnit, he got away." Carmine said, grabbing his rifle and chambering a round. They made their way back to the Humvee and drove back to the docks. Carmine hopped out as the Humvee came to a stop and ran over to see Blake but she was nowhere to be found "Where's Blake?" Carmine asked looking around, Weiss looked at him "She ran away, that's what she always does. I'm sorry Carmine." She said to him, Carmine fell to his knees in disbelief "She didn't even stay to see if I was alive." Carmine said pulling off his gas mask, a tear ran down his cheek as he stared at the ground.

He was brought out of his thought by a locker that skidded across the dock, Nora ripped the door off the locker. Jaune shot out of the locker and fell onto the ground "Guys! Pyrrha, she's taking Cinder on by herself. Someone needs to stop her." He pleaded, Carmine stood up "Where is she?" He asked with no emotion in his voice. "Ozpin's office." Jaune said, pointing to the tower. "Weiss, you think you can shoot me up there?" He asked, she smiled "I've been waiting to do this, get on." She said forming a large black glyph, Carmine stepped on but was interrupted by Ruby "I'm going too and you won't stop me." She said standing on the glyph with Carmine. Weiss charged the glyph and shot the pair across the sky, they busted through the window as Pyrrha leaped out of the elevator.

Pyrrha formed her spear and threw it at Cinder who dodged it and countered with a fireball. Carmine tossed a frag grenade toward Cinder, it bounced into the corner and exploded, blowing a hole in the side of the tower. Carmine ran and tackled Cinder to the ground, driving a knee into her side.

Cinder erupted in fire, sending Carmine across the room and into the wall. Ruby extended her scythe and began to slice and cut at Cinder who kicked the reaper in the chest, sending her off the side of the tower. "Ruby!" Carmine and Pyrrha yelled at the same time, Carmine charged his fists up and ran at Cinder, throwing a right cross to her face. The charge exploded, sending her across the room and into Ozpin's desk.

Pyrrha picked up her sword and shield, readying herself for combat with Carmine who had his shotgun in hand. Carmine cocked the pump and ejected a spent cartridge as Cinder stood up, she shot fire out of her hands as she walked toward the pair. Carmine held the shotgun with one hand and aimed at Cinder, squeezing the trigger and firing at Cinder. The buckshot pelted Cinder and the wall behind her, Pyrrha used her polarity to rip one of the cogs from the roof and shot it at Cinder. The cog slammed Cinder into the wall, she ripped more out and threw them at her.

The cogs slammed and stacked on top of her, Cinder exploded in a ball of flames and sent the cogs flying every which way. A large cog flew at Pyrrha who tried to block but was slammed into the wall, her aura dissipated. Carmine ran to her aid, lifting the cog off of her "Pyrrha, are you ok?" He asked, shaking her. She nodded weakly as she sat up. Carmine stood up and readied his sword, Cinder strutted forward and ignited her hands "So, another girl will die because of you, how sad. I'll make it quick." She said slicing fire at Carmine, he rolled out of the way and ran toward her, bringing his blade down but missed.

Pyrrha got up and ran to her shield, Cinder kicked Carmine across the face and knocked him over. He picked himself up in time to see the top of Mountain Glenn exploded and a giant Grimm dragon emerged, it flew towards Beacon, closing in very quickly to the tower. The TOS-1 batterie's aimed at the dragon and unleashed a barrage of missiles, they collided into the dragon and exploded into a cloud of fire and smoke. The dragon roared through the smoke and clipped the tower, ripping the roof of the tower off.

Cinder walked toward the dragon as it hovered by the tower "Shh, this is your home now." She said, stroking its snout. The dragon roared as it pulled away from the tower, Pyrrha stood up and readied her sword and shield, Cinder turned around and formed a glass bow. She tossed her shield at her and rolled out of the way as Cinder shot an arrow at the redhead, the arrow dematerialized around the shield and reformed, hitting Pyrrha in the ankle.

Pyrrha let out a yelp in pain as she collapsed onto the ground, she tried to stand up but fell to the ground again, Cinder walked towards her "It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours." She knelt down and lifted her chin, looking into her eyes and smiling. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined." Cinder said with a sinister chuckle, Pyrrha pulled away from her and sat up on her knees, staring into her eyes "Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked seriously.

Cinder formed an arrow on the string and drew it back, she frowned and narrowed her eyes. Carmine pulled himself up and picked up his sword, stumbling toward Cinder. Cinder spoke "Yes." She released the arrow into Pyrrha's chest, Pyrrha gasps in pain, she placed her hands on her chest. She dropped her head as Cinder walked toward her. Ruby finally made it back to the roof as Pyrrha took an arrow to the chest. Carmine charged at Cinder and tried to tackle her but she grabbed him by the throat "Now to eliminate another annoyance." Cinder said, dragging a struggling Carmine to the edge of the tower. "Now, join your whore of a girlfriend in hell." She said, releasing Carmine and letting him fall from the tower.

Ruby let out a scream "PYRRHA!" She screamed as a huge flash of light enveloped the roof, Carmine watched as he fell toward the ground. "Stay safe, little red." Carmine said as he crashed into the ground, the concrete exploding around him. "CARMINE!" Weiss screamed out as she ran toward the smoking crater. Carmine faded in and out of consciousness, he heard people screaming and talking around him as he slipped into darkness. "Just hang on Carmine, we'll get you patched up, we need a medic, now!" Laurel shouted.

 ***3 Months Later***

Carmine stirred in his sleep and shot up "Cinder!" Carmine shouted, looking around the unfamiliar room. He attempted to get out of bed but was stopped by an immense pain shooting through his leg "Ahhh!" He exclaimed, a woman in white ran into the room "Sir, you have to stay still. You were badly injured." She said, trying to keep Carmine in the bed. "Where am I?" Carmine asked confused, the woman looked toward the door "I think she should explain." The nurse said, gesturing to the door. Weiss walked in and pulled up a chair "Hey Carmine, how are you feeling?" Weiss asked, Carmine laid back against the pillows.

"Like I got in a fight with an Ursa and lost, where am I? Where's my team and Blake?" Carmine asked, looking over to the ice queen. "You're in Atlas, Ironwood and I brought you here after you were thrown off the top of Beacon Tower, that was a seventy story plummet. You almost died, I think your heart stopped twice. As for your team, Regalia went home to Mistral, Laurel went back to Vacuo, and Celadon, well Celadon disappeared. No one knows where he is, and Blake ran away. We don't know where she is either." Weiss explained, catching Carmine up on what he missed.

There was a knock at the door, the Doctor came in and greeted the two "Hello Ms. Schnee, Mr. Sable. I'm glad to see you're awake." The doctor said, looking at Carmine's chart. "So doc, what was the damage?" Carmine asked curiously, the doc looked up slowly and adjusted his glasses. "Well Mr. Sable, you were brought in with a broken left arm, fractured ankle, dislocated shoulder and jaw, two cracked ribs, a bruised lung, multiple lacerations, and a fractured tibia." The doctor explained, Carmine's eyes went wide as the doctor continued "You've been in a medically induced coma so you could heal fully."

Carmine looked up at the roof and closed his eyes "How's the fight in Beacon going?" He asked, turning his attention to Weiss "Well, this is the last info we got. The CCT towers are gone." Weiss said, holding up her scroll, showing Carmine a picture of the fighting. The APCs engaged Beowolves, Tanks fought Deathstalkers, an AC-130 flew overhead and was ripped out the sky by three griffons. Carmine placed a hand over his mouth in disbelief "Oh good gods, this is bad, where's the dragon?" Carmine asked Weiss as she put her scroll away "It's frozen. Yes, frozen." Weiss said sitting back down in the chair.

There was another knock at the door, a nurse walked in with a tray "Good afternoon, Mr. Sable, are you ready for your treatment?" She asked, Carmine looked at her sideways "Treatment?" He asked curiously, the nurse walked over to the counter and placed the tray down "Yes sir, we have a medication that speeds up the bone healing process, downside is it hurts. A lot." She said, pulling out a syringe. Carmine nodded and grabbed the bed rail as the nurse readied the syringe. The needle broke the skin on his leg as the nurse injected a blue serum, the needle exited his leg and the nurse tossed it into a biohazard bin. Carmine grabbed the rail with his right arm as the serum took effect, the sound of bone clicking and moving could be heard in the room.

Carmine grunted in discomfort, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as the bones in his left arm started to shift. "Mother fucker!" Carmine muttered through gritted teeth, he finally passed out from the pain and discomfort.

He reawoke an hour later, the bone shifting had stopped "Good, you're awake. How do you feel?" Weiss asked standing up, walking over to the bed. "Well, my leg doesn't hurt as much so that's good. Let's take this on a test run, shall we?" Carmine said, moving to stand up out of bed. He placed his feet on the ground and added weight to his feet, he slowly stood up from the bed, stumbling a bit. Weiss helped him regain his balance, he stood up straight and slowly walked to the counter. Carmine picked up a stack of clothes and examined them "No, they're not your original ones. I had Klein fetch some that matched your original style." Weiss said as Carmine put the pants and shirt on. Weiss handed him a black box with a white star on top of it "I also had these made for you." Weiss said with a politely, he opened the top and was greeted by a pair of black and red high top sneakers, he placed them on his feet and tied the laces.

"There, you look like your old self. We just need to get that haircut." Weiss said with a giggle, Carmine touched his head and felt that his hair was down to the top of his shoulder "Wow, I've never had it get this long." Carmine said as he stepped in front of the mirror, his red eyes looking back at him, a scar went across his cheek. He followed her out of the room and down the hall "Oh, this is yours." Weiss said, pulling out another scroll and handing it to the rifleman. He took it and turned it on, a black skull with red X's for eyes came onto the screen, laughing before disappearing. Weiss saw the animation and spoke up "Wait, that skull is yours?! I saw that at the Vytal Festival, what is it?" She asked curiously, Carmine placed the scroll into his pocket.

"It's what's called a cyber cell, it hunts down viruses, malware, spyware, and trojan horses. It will literally eat the target program, it also gives me full control over a system. When it eats another program, it will tell me who uploaded it and where the source is. My good friend Nightshade developed it back before our final battle." Carmine said, explaining his program as they walked down the hall. They reached the main building, entering a large hallway and turning left. "My father wanted to speak with you." Weiss said as they walk down the hall, they reach a door and can hear shouting inside "I'm not talking about the good of my company; I'm talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!" A voice yells inside "That is a load of garbage and you know it." Another voice yells back.

Carmine opened the door and walked in "Why the fuck is everyone yelling!?" Carmine shouts in a booming voice, silencing the room. Ironwood was speaking to a white-haired man, Ironwood turned around "Ah, Carmine, it's good to see you awake." He said, shaking Carmine's hand "It's good to be back. So, what are you two ladies bitching about?" Carmine asked with a chuckle, the white-haired man looked furious "Do you have no manners or respect?!" The white-haired man asked furiously, Carmine shot him a sly grin "Sir, with all due respect, when you've been through as much as I have, you just stop giving a fuck." Carmine said with a straight face.

Ironwood stepped between Carmine and the white-haired man "Carmine, this is Jacques Schnee, leader of Schnee Dust Company." Ironwood explained, Carmine and Jacques shake hands. "Jacques and I were talking about my dust embargo, seeing as how the white fang has been stealing a lot of it. I proposed the idea after you found that warehouse in Vale, you understand right?" Ironwood asked, Carmine nodded "Oh completely, we can't have the dust falling into enemy hands." Carmine said, agreeing with Ironwood. Jacques slammed his fist down on his desk "Enough! Your Dust embargo has already cost me millions! I can promise you, I have not forgotten!" He shouted, Ironwood laughed "So this is about you!" He stated, stepping forward.

Weiss stood by the door and watched as the three men of power argued "Jacques, this embargo is necessary, at least for the time being. You don't profit off of it being stolen, do you? I have seen what they do to people on those trains and frankly, it's not pretty." Carmine said as he walked toward the desk, placing both of his hands down on the desk and getting close to Jacques' face "Do you really want more people to die so you can make a little bit more money? Cause I won't let that happen, not again." Carmine said in a serious, deep voice.

Weiss felt a little scared by his voice, Ironwood stared at Jacques "Don't make a mistake that you will regret." He said as he started to leave but stopped when he saw Weiss standing there "Miss Schnee! My apologies. I should have been gone by now." He said apologizing "It-it's ok" Weiss said stuttering a bit, Ironwood bowed to her "Please know, you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it. That offer stands for you too, Carmine." Ironwood said as he left the office. Jacques sat down in his chair at his desk, facing his daughter and Carmine "Did you forget your manners while you were away?" He asked her, she just sighed "No, Father. I'm sorry." She said apologizing, Carmine stepped forward "Now, you wanted to see me about something?" He asked sitting down in a chair in front of his desk.

Jacques put his hands together on the desk, sitting up straight "I'd like to hire your 'services' for my company." Jacques said, pulling out a file and sliding it to Carmine. Carmine took the file and opened it, he read the dossier and looked at the photos "I want you to eliminate the CEO of Shakor Dust Company, Icterine Shakor." Jacques said with a grin, Carmine tossed it back on the desk "No deal, I don't do assassinations anymore. Find someone else to do your dirty work." Carmine said disgusted, Jacques sighed "Name your price." He said, but Carmine shook his head "No, I will not do it. I don't take the lives of innocent people anymore!" Carmine shouted and stood up, Jacques sighed in defeat.

"Fine, then I want to hire you for another reason, I want you to be my daughter bodyguard." He said, surprising both Carmine and Weiss "Wait… What?" Weiss asked confused, Carmine nodded "What she said, why? Your daughter was top of the class." Carmine stated, Jacques nodded in agreement "Yes that may be true, but in this time I can never be too safe. There might be someone out for her." Jacques said standing up. "So name your price." He stated, Carmine thought for a moment. "30 Million Lien." Carmine said staring at the white-haired man who narrowed his eyes, staring back "Fine, 30 Million Lien." He said, pulling out his scroll and typing something. "You'll find your payment in your room." Jacques said with a smile, shaking Carmine's hand.

Jacques sat back down and addressed his daughter "Thanks to Ironwood, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other Kingdoms. "A precautionary measure," as he puts it, "until we're certain no one is going to declare war". How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me. Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks." Weiss smiled "That's… wonderful news." She said, hoping to get things back to normal. "I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event." Jacques said, leaning back in his chair. Weiss's eyes widened "Excuse me?" She asked, surprised at what she had just heard.

Jacques stood up and fixed his jacket "Many forget that you were there. My own daughter, a Schnee, on the grounds, defending another Kingdom! We need to remind them! And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever!" He explained, walking over to a family portrait on the wall. Weiss was about to speak but Carmine cut her off "Are you asking her or are you telling her? Cause I highly doubt she wants this kind of publicity at a time like this." Carmine said with venom on his tongue, he narrowed his eyes toward Jacques.

Jacques turned around and got in Carmine's face "Do you not know your place, Merc? Because I will happily remind you." Jacques said angrily, Carmine laughed in his face "I'd like to see your bitch ass try, I'd wreck your shit." Carmine said stretching, Jacques drew his hand back and attempted to slap him but Carmine caught his wrist, applying pressure to it and bringing the white-haired man to his knees. Carmine knelt down and looked Jacques in the eyes "Don't EVER get in my face again. Now, you're gonna stand up and we're gonna have this conversation like nothing happened." Carmine said with a smile, standing up and giving Jacques some room.

He stood up and brushed himself off "I was asking her to perform at the Concert, unless you think you can do it." Jacques said with a chuckle as a smirk grew across Carmine's face "Oh boy are you in for a treat. Ask your daughter about the Concert before the Vytal Festival." Carmine said sitting back down next to Weiss "He's right Father, he performed amazingly." Weiss said, praising Carmine's singing ability, pulling out her scroll to show a video she recorded from that night. Jacques watched the video that depicted Carmine, Laurel, Celadon, Sun, and Neptune singing on the stage, when the video ended he handed it back to Weiss "Well, color me impressed. Alright Carmine, you're performing and just so you know, there will be sophisticated people there, royalty." Jacques said to the rifleman "Got it, anti-war propaganda it is." Carmine said with a chuckle, Weiss giggled at his remark. Carmine stared at him in disbelief "You don't remember me do you?" Carmine said before he made his way to the door.

Carmine led Weiss out of the office and down the hall, as they walked she spoke up "Thanks for defending me back there, it means a lot." Weiss said, thanking him. "Hey, you would have done the same for me," Carmine said putting his hands behind his head.

As they walked they were greeted by a young man with white hair "Hello sister, it's good to see you out of your room for a change, and who is your friend or is he your boyfriend?" The man asked, Weiss blushed "No, he's my friend and new bodyguard. Whitley this is Carmine, Carmine this is my younger brother, Whitley." She introduced the two "Hello Carmine." Whitley said, shaking his hand. "Sup Pipsqueak." Carmine replied, shaking Whitley's hand. "So how did your talk with father go? I know mother drinks because of him." Whitley said, Carmine raised an eyebrow at the last part.

"Well, it was a lot better with Carmine there. He's one to knock you off your high horse then shakes your hand." Weiss said, Carmine grinned with his hands on his hips "Yep!" He exclaimed, causing Weiss to giggle. "Well, it's good someone stood up to father. Have a good rest of your day, sister." Whitley said as he left. Carmine shook his head "What the hell is with all the 'father wherefore art thou' bullshit. Where I'm from we call them Mom and Dad, and our siblings are little shits. My family was very endearing." Carmine said with hand gestures, Weiss started to laugh at his actions as they walked down the hall.

They eventually arrived at a set of large metal doors, Carmine lit up "Armory?!" He asked excitedly, Weiss shook her head "Library." She said, pushing open the doors to reveal a room full of books. As they walked in, the smell of paper and old books filled Carmine's nostrils, he took a deep breath in "Smells old and lacking gunpowder." He said, chuckling.

Weiss rolled her eyes at his remark, she walked up to a computer and started to type into it "So what are you looking up?" Carmine asked as he watched the door behind them. "Well, I want to help you find your team but that might be impossible since the CCTs are gone, so I'm gonna do the next best thing: send a letter. An Atlesian airship will take it to its destination." She said, moving so Carmine could type a letter to his teammates.

As he developed his letter in his head, Weiss spoke up "Hey, why did you say 'You don't remember me, do you?' Back there?" Weiss asked curiously, Carmine stopped in his place and looked down at the keyboard "The Wolf Pack was here a couple years ago, Beacon wasn't the first time we met. Your dad hired us to defend the gala after the assassination of the Sarcoline rep. It was a two phase assault by one mercenary group disguised as two different merc groups, The Devils Disciples and Viper Legion. Your mind most likely repressed the memory." Carmine explained, disclosing his past to the woman next to him.

He started to type 'Hey guys, it's your awesome and handsome leader, Carmine the great. I'm alive in Atlas, Weiss Schnee the Ice Queen saved my life so I'm working as her bodyguard for the time being. If you can, board the next airship here, I miss my team and we haven't destroyed anything in 3 months so we're overdue. Later fuckers, C.T.S.' he finished up his letter and let Weiss proofread it. She spoke up as she read "Inflate your own ego much?" Carmine shrugged, she printed three letters and put them in envelopes, writing the names on the front along with where they were going. She handed them to a butler who left for the mail room.

"There, we should hear back in a week or two." Weiss said as they left the room, Carmine yawned as he walked down the hall with Weiss "Tired huh?" She asked, Carmine chuckled "Yea, I guess surviving a 70 story fall and two daisy cutters really takes it out of you." Carmine said sarcastically, Weiss giggled again. She led him to his room, he opened the door to reveal a rather large room, his gear was on the dressers to the right, his Scar was in the corner leaning against the wall. There were three briefcases on the desk to the left and a stack of clothes on the bed.

He stepped inside the room and turned to Weiss who stood with her hands behind her back, blushing a bit "I guess I'll let you get some sleep, unless… unless you don't mind the company?" She asked, smiling nervously. Carmine smiled and stepped aside, she walked inside as he closed the door behind them. He climbed in bed and she got in next to him, draping her arm over his chest. Carmine's thoughts raced through his head 'Oh gods, I'm dating Blake yet I'm in bed with another woman. What are you doing, you idiot?!' His conscious screamed at him as he closed his eyes.

 ***The Next Day***

" _Oh Blake, why must you hurt me?"_ a voice asked, echoing through the darkness as the sound of gunshots cracked through the sky " _Do you believe in destiny?_ " another voice asked in the darkness. _"Carmine!"_ a voice screamed in the darkness.

Carmine shot out of bed, panting heavily and beads of sweat rolling down his face. Weiss looked startled "Carmine? Are you ok?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded as he slowed his breathing "Yeah, just had a nightmare. War will do that to you." Carmine said lying back down, Weiss still looked concerned as she laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "I have to go to Vale, do you want to come with me?" Carmine asked the girl with her head on his chest "Uhh, sure. Aren't you worried about running into White Fang?" Weiss asked, Carmine smirked "I'm not worried, I can wipe the floor with them." Carmine said as he got out of bed and grabbed his gear from the dresser, he stared at the worn IBA "Alright old friend, out of the frying pan and into the fire." Carmine said slipping the vest on over the black hoodie.

He sheathed his Ka-Bar and checked the mags on his guns "FiveSeven: Full, MP7: Full, 500: full reel, and Scar: full, fire frags: two, ice frags: one, electricity frags: two. Alright, ready?" Carmine asked grabbing his gas mask, Weiss nodded as she sheathed her rapier. They made their way to the airdock, boarding a bullhead and heading for Vale.

As they flew, Weiss caught Carmine up with everything that has happened since he was in a coma. "Grimm still prowl the school grounds and White Fang are scattered through the city but your defenses still hold so congratulations on that." Weiss explained as Carmine readied his weapons "Right, when we land keep your head down and stay on my ass. Let me take point, alright. We have to go to my dorm room to grab some things. It might get bloody so be ready, okay?" Carmine replied, Weiss nodded as the ship touched down.

As the door opened bullets ricocheted off the side, Carmine leaped out and exchanged fire with the WF, his shots were deadly accurate. Carmine took Weiss's arm and sprinted across the courtyard, placing his scar on his back and drawing his MP7, suppressing fire as they ran. Bullets spat from the barrel and flew down range, ripping through their targets. He grabbed her by the waist and slid behind cover, pulling her close to him, his filtered breath hot on her neck as bullets impacted the concrete behind them. He reached into his pouch and pulled out two red grenades, pulling the pins and throwing them over the cover. They exploded and engulfed the area in fire, burning everything down, he covered Weiss's ears as the WF screamed in agony.

Carmine stood up and put them out of their misery, the .308 tore through the burning flesh and splattered blood on the wall behind them. "Clear." Carmine announced, helping Weiss to her feet. She dusted herself off, looking at the carnage but Carmine stepped in front of her "Don't look, I don't want you to see this." He said as he led her to the dorms, they met up with three Atlas squadrons and were greeted by the fleet commander "Titan, it is good to see back in action. We heard the gunfire, everything under control?" Carmine nodded and informed them of his mission "Dorms huh? Well, we haven't cleared them so good luck, if you need anything you can reach us on channel 6. Also, take these breaching charges with you, they might help." The commander said handing him a stack of breaching pads, he folded them up and put them in his backpack.

Carmine and Weiss made their way to the dorm entrance, he pulled out a suppressor and screwed it onto the barrel of the SCAR. He pushed open the door and slowly entered the hall, he crouched down as he moved slowly as they passed dorm doors. He checked the knobs as he moved further down the hall, he got to the first locked door and used his scroll camera to look under the door "Clear." He announced softly, moving to the next door and repeating the process "Contact: 4 tangos." He said softly, he backed up and kicked the door in, popping off four rounds and cleared the room.

Carmine led them down the hall, turning the corner "Alright, my dorm is the third one on the left." Carmine whispered as they neared it, he pushed himself against the wall to listen for voices "Yeah, we're in his dorm but haven't found anything. There is no key here." Carmine heard a voice talking through the wall, he slipped the Scar onto his back again and drew his suppressed FiveSeven, racking the slide and chambering a round. Carmine moved to the door and slowly opened it, moving inside carefully. He knocked out one of the soldiers and held the other at gunpoint "Freeze! Drop the scroll and crush it, do it!" Carmine shouted, the WF soldier complied and dropped the scroll, stomping on it.

"Alright, so what is this about a key? What key do I have?" Carmine asked, the WF soldier scoffed "I ain't talking." Carmine sighed "You know who I am right? So you know what I'm capable of, so choose wisely." Carmine said threateningly, the WF soldier let out an audible gulp "We're trying to find the key to the Wolf Pack HQ." Carmine sighed and held up a key that was on a string around his neck "Ta-Da." He said sarcastically as he shot the WF soldier. "Alright, let's get to work." Carmine said, clapping his hands together and walking toward his closet.

He opened the door and started pulling out crates and boxes, stacking them on the floor. He radioed Atlas for some men to help move the stuff, three minutes later there was a cargo truck under the window with soldiers waiting to catch the crates. Carmine dropped them one after another until he got to the last one, he stuck his head out the window "Take that to the bullhead and load it up, we'll be there in a bit." Carmine shouted, he turned and lifted the crate, now with an armed escort, moved toward the exit and eventually made it outside to a Humvee. He loaded the crate into the back and climbed into the driver's seat "Anything you want before we leave?" He asked but she shook her head "No, I'm ok." She said somewhat solemnly. Carmine started the Humvee and tore out of there, making their way back to the docks.

The Humvee came to a stop, Carmine jumped out and grabbed the crate, moving it to the Bullhead. They said their farewells to the Atlas fighters, wishing them luck in their fight. The bullhead lifted off the ground, taking off back toward Atlas "So, what is in the crates? What was so important?" Weiss asked, Carmine perked up and walked to the stack of crates "Weapons, Explosives, Dust, and Attachments. If they got a hold of this, it would turn it in their favor." He explained, she nodded as he sat down next to her, she rested her head on his shoulder.

In a matter of minutes they were back in Atlas, the Bullhead touched down near the Schnee armory. Carmine directed the crew to unload it and put it in a section away from the rest, he led Weiss back inside her mansion "I didn't ask but are you ok?" Carmine asked, she nodded but seemed hesitant about something. Carmine looked up to the sky 'I miss you Sapphire, and I miss you Blake.' Carmine thought to himself, he felt himself tear up a bit at the thought of his two lovers but shook it off. Carmine pulled his gas mask off and took a deep breath in "Ah, unfiltered air, refreshing." He said, laughing to himself, Weiss giggled a bit.

"Do you mind if I join you again, I hate sleeping alone." Weiss asked the rifleman as they walked down the hall, he grinned "Yeah, I don't mind." Carmine said with a grin, she smiled back. They made it back to his room and he grabbed his clothes to shower "I'll be back, you know where my guns are." Carmine said, leaving to shower. He stepped into the hot water and let it run down his body, soot and gunpowder ran through his hair, turning black on the white marble shower floor. He finished his shower and got dressed, making his way back to his room, he opened the door and walked in. Weiss was lying in bed in a nightgown that looked somewhat see-through, Carmine shrugged it off and climbed in bed, she threw her arm over his chest, and that is when he realized what was wrong: She wasn't wearing a bra.

 ***Mild NSFW***

Weiss pushed her body against Carmine's side, her nipples poked him in the arm. "Carmine… I need you to touch me…" She pleaded as she straddled his waist, she pulled up at the base of her gown and took it off. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast, she massaged the other one herself, letting out moans of ecstasy. He pulled his hand away from her body "I… I can't, I'm with Blake, and I could never cheat on her." Carmine said solemnly, Weiss looked into his crimson eyes "Carmine, she ran away from you, from us." She said as she leaned down and kissed his neck "Besides, how will she ever find out? I won't tell her and you won't tell her." She continued, Carmine sighed in defeat and gave into his urges.

He rolled over and pinned her to the bed, kissing her neck and working down to her breasts, he took her right nipple into his mouth and teased it with his teeth, causing her to moan loudly but Carmine suppressed it with his mouth and massaged her breasts with his hands, a hand made its way down south causing her take in a deep breath "Fuck Me, Carmine!" She said through gritted teeth as she started kissing his neck again.

 ***End NSFW***

Carmine woke up in a daze, feeling dehydrated. He stood up and picked up his boxers, slipping them on and walking to the window "Hey sexy, that was amazing. I see why Blake was suddenly a changed woman after having sex with you." She said with a purr in her voice, Carmine winked back. He picked up the condom wrappers off the floor and tossed them in the trash as he walked to the bathroom, he stepped in front of the mirror and counted the hickeys on his neck '5…6…7…8!?' he thought to himself as he cleaned up, Weiss walked in and he pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips.

He picked her up and sat her on the counter to better kiss her, she ran her fingers through his hair as they kissed and he squeezed her ass, causing her to squeal in excitement "Mmm, someone is ready for round four." She said with a purr but he shook his head "Nah, you kind of… sucked me dry. You've just got a body that won't stop." He said kissing her, his tongue pushing past her lips. She broke the kiss "So… are we…?" She asked, Carmine looked down at the ground "Look, until I find Blake, I can't decide who I want to be with. It's too bad I can't have you both." Carmine said with a chuckle but was stopped when he heard something he didn't expect "I don't mind sharing." Weiss said with a smile, Carmine pulled her close to him.

She hopped off the counter and wrapped her arms around him, looking up and kissing him on the lips. "Alright, you need to rehearse." She said, walking out of the bathroom, he smacked her on the ass as she left, she shot him a seductive smile. Carmine looked back into the mirror and sighed "Oh Carmine, what have you gotten yourself into?" He asked himself.

 **(Thus concludes Ch. 10, action, romance, drama, suspense all in one. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and REVIEW. Every review helps, any questions? Message me and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.)**


	11. Chapter 11: Reunion

Chapter 11: Reunion

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs (Team CRCL, Team BLAK, Wolf Pack, and Sapphire) Remember to leave a Review. This chapter will contain a lot of songs, sorry not sorry. Enjoy!**

Water crashed down onto the marble floor, steam flowed through the bathroom as Carmine showered off the infidelity from the night before. Carmine placed his forehead against the wall, the water hitting his back "How could I do that with Weiss? I'm with Blake and I love her so much, why would I do that? Lust? I need to find Blake and get my team back together ASAP." Carmine said to himself as he showered, turning off the water when he finished.

He stepped out onto the cold floor, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and sighed as he felt the scar on his cheek. He left the bathroom and walked over to his dresser, grabbing a pair of boxers out and slipping them on along with a pair of black gym shorts. There was a pair of black jeans sitting on the chair in the corner, he walked over and picked them up, slipping them on over his gym shorts.

There was a knock at the door as Carmine got dressed, he slipped on a black t-shirt and answered the door, he was greeted by a balding man with a mustache "Good morning, Master Sable, there appears to be someone here to see you, shall I send them to your room?" The man asked, Carmine nodded "Yeah and just call me Carmine, I don't do the formal stuff, ight?" Carmine asked the man who nodded "As you wish, Carmine. My name is Klein by the way, should you need anything I'll be around." Klein said as he left.

Carmine closed his door and continued to get dressed, slipping on his black/red high tops and his jewelry. He slipped his dogtags on around his neck and a silver watch onto his left wrist, he was about to grab a ring when there was another knock at the door. Carmine grabbed the handle and opened the door "Yo." He said as he opened the door, he was knocked to the ground and embraced in a hug "Bro, I'm so glad you're alive, we thought you were dead. Regalia actually started crying when you weren't moving." Laurel said as he hugged his leader, Carmine patted him on the head "It's good to see you too, Laurel. Hey Regalia, looking stunning as ever." Carmine said, complementing the purple haired medic, she blushed at his compliment "Thank you, Carmine. You look great for a guy who was blown up and thrown off a tower." She said as she closed the door behind her and pulled Laurel off of Carmine.

He stood up and fixed his clothes, adjusting his dogtags and grabbed his shoe that had come off. He sat down on his bed and slipped it back onto his foot "Hey, what size shoe do you wear anyway?" Laurel asked as he sat down in a chair across from Carmine. Carmine chuckled "16," he said as he watched their reaction "Holy shit!" Laurel exclaimed as Carmine finished fixing his shoes and sat up.

"Hey, do you know what happened to Celadon? No one knows where he is." Carmine asked as he stood up, Regalia shook her head "He was devastated when he saw them cart you off on a covered stretcher, he took off toward Vale before anyone could stop him. My guess would be he's somewhere in Vale." Regalia said as she sat down on his bed, looking around the room and taking in the sights. Carmine nodded as he sprayed on some cologne and turned around to face his teammates "So I fucked up guys, I had sex with Weiss." Carmine said, crossing his arms and looking at the floor.

Laurel and Regalia stood up, shocked "What!? How could you? Blake loves you and you do this to her?!" Regalia asked shaking Carmine "I had a moment of weakness, Blake ran away without checking to see if I was alive. Weiss was there for me when no one else was, her father hired me as her bodyguard." Carmine said shaking his head, Laurel sighed "We know, we read your letter, how else do you think we found you. You had a moment of weakness, do you regret it?" Laurel asked walking over to the rifleman.

"Hell yes I regret it, I love Blake and would never want to hurt her, I mean I called in an airstrike on myself to save her and Yang." Carmine said looking up at his team, Regalia walked over to a bookshelf in the corner of the room "Hey Regalia, whatcha looking for?" Carmine asked, Regalia scanned the bookshelf and pulled a large book out, bringing it over to Carmine and Laurel. "History of the White Fang, I remember reading about the former leader, he had the same last name as Blake." Regalia said as she flipped through the pages "Here it is: Ghira Belladonna, former leader of The White Fang and resides in… Menagerie. My bet is if she went anywhere, it's there." Regalia said pointing to the map, a small island resided in the bottom right-hand corner.

"That's great but how can I face her after what I've done? I don't deserve to have her, I only deserve to be alone because of my infidelity." Carmine said cradling his head, Regalia pulled him into her arms "Listen, she'll understand because she wasn't there for you in your time of need and Weiss was, the fact that you show so much remorse means that it was a heat of the moment kind of thing." Regalia said, comforting her leader. He stayed in her embrace for a moment before backing up "Thanks Regalia, it means a lot." Carmine said, thanking the healer.

"So, let's go find Celadon!" Laurel exclaimed the other two nodded in agreement. Carmine grabbed his Five-Seven off of the nightstand and clipped it in his waistline "Alright, before we go I have a surprise, it's in the docking bay." Carmine said, leading his team out of the room and down the hall. As they walked down the hall Weiss came out of her room "Oh hey Carmine, I see you got Laurel and Regalia back, that's good. Where you off to?" She asked the rifleman "We're going to go find Celadon, I need you to stay here, ok." Carmine said, Weiss nodded and walked down the hall.

Team CRL continued down the hall and entered the docking bay, Carmine led them to a stack of crates and containers. "Alright, load up and get ready to move. Small frames only, anything you can conceal." Carmine said, opening a box of weapons. Laurel pulled out an MX4 Storm and attached a red dot sight, ergo grip, and a suppressor, he slipped spare clips into his pockets. Regalia grabbed two Spectre M4's and attached suppressors to them, attaching them to her sides. Carmine picked out a CZ Scorpion EVO 3 and attached a suppressor, ergo grip, green laser sight, and Kobra red dot sight. He folded the stock and attached it to his side.

"Do you feel comfortable without your gear?" Laurel asked the rifleman who was wearing just his street clothes. "Yeah, that's why I said to load up with what you can conceal. Also, I'm sure they have a description of our weapons so we'll need to switch it up for the time being." Carmine said, grabbing spare clips and three backpacks. He handed two of them to his teammates and took the scorpion off of his hip and placing it in the backpack, the other two followed suit and put more clips into their packs along with some grenades and flashbangs.

"Alright, let's move out." Carmine said, gesturing them to an airship but Regalia stopped them "Wait, won't they know our faces too?" She said, Carmine stopped for a moment to think "What should we do?" He asked the medic who pointed to many crates of clothes "Hoodies, Balaclavas, and Bandanas." She said walking over to the crates.

"Since it's cold here, they have these crates of cold weather clothing for the family and family friends," Regalia said, opening a crate of jackets and another crate of balaclava ski masks and bandanas. "Well, that was convenient. It's like it was placed here to move a plotline along. Ha." Carmine said laughing as he pulled out a black hoodie, white balaclava, and a red bandana.

Carmine put on the hoodie, zipping it all the way up and pulling on the ski mask, covering his mouth with the bandana and pulling the hood up over his head "Man, I feel like I'm going to rob a bank." Laurel said with a chuckle as he fixed his red ski mask and white bandana. He wore a black hoodie with white stripes running down the arms, Regalia wore a white hoodie, black ski mask, and had a purple bandana on.

They put their packs back on and boarded the airship, Laurel and Regalia sat down in the back as Carmine gave the destination to the pilot "We need to go to the city of Vale, in the market district." Carmine told the pilot who nodded and fired up the engine of the bullhead. The airship lifted off of the ground and shot into the sky, banking left and circling around before flattening out, the ship screamed through the air as it raced toward Vale. It reached its destination quickly and landed in a clearing behind Vale, the pilot handed Carmine a flare gun "Pop a flare when you're ready to evac, I'm gonna take this bird up to Beacon where Atlas troops are." The pilot explained, Carmine nodded and slipped the gun into his back pocket.

Team CRL disembarked from the airship and pushed into Vale, the airship took off behind them and rocketed toward Beacon. Carmine and company broke through the tree line and entered the city of Vale, the city seemed to be a ghost town. Debris littered the ground and shattered windows filled the buildings, they moved into the street and scanned both ways before taking a left. They ran down the street, keeping close to the buildings and close to the ground as they moved to avoid being spotted.

Carmine stopped and pulled his teammates into a burnt out building, as they ducked behind a wall a white jeep with a red Beowolf on it drove by. "WF patrol, stay down." Carmine said in a hushed tone as it drove by and turned down a road, heading toward Beacon. CRL Company moved out of the building and watched as the jeep drove down the road, it suddenly exploded into a ball of fire, sending chunks of metal and rubber flying. The burning husk impacted the ground and burned, the sound of flesh burning could be heard emanating from the wreckage, the sound echoed throughout the surrounding area.

Carmine looked up to see an F-22 fly overhead and fly back toward Beacon "Hell Yeah. My defenses held." Carmine said happily as the jeep burned, CRL Company turned back around and made their way to a warehouse looking building. Carmine examined the door "Looks like they tried to force their way in, amateurs." Carmine said chuckling as he moved to the back of the building and checked the door "Hmm, still locked. Looks like they slashed the tires on the cargo truck, dicks." Carmine said shaking his head as he inserted a key and turned it, the sound of pistons retracting could be heard from the wall "The security system was activated, someone broke a window and entered the building. The door and windows were sealed around them." Carmine said as he opened the door and entered the building.

He flipped the circuit breaker and kicked on the lights "In the event someone breaks in, the building acts as a prison, not a death box cause that would be bad if one of us had to get in." Carmine explained as the rest of CRL Company came inside, Laurel closed the door behind them and locked it. Carmine opened the back door, and entered the living area "Welcome to Wolf Pack, Wolves! Sound off! Carmine!" Carmine yelled but was met with silence, he lowered his head "Yeah, we're all here, at least not physically." Carmine said as a tear formed in his eye but he wiped it away.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the armory, Carmine pulled out his Five-Seven and walked forward, Laurel and Regalia drew their guns and readied them behind Carmine who was stacked up by the door. Laurel patted him on the shoulder and he threw the door open, charging in and pointing their guns around the room. Their sights came to rest on a man with green hair and a scraggly beard "Don't shoot!" The man announced with his hands up, Carmine flipped on the flashlight and shined it in the man's face.

"Celadon?" Carmine asked questioningly as he lowered his pistol, the man lowered his hands "Carmine?" The man asked back, Carmine pulled him into a bear hug "I missed you man! Don't ever run off like that." Carmine said as he started to tear up, Celadon was in tears "Man, I thought you were dead. You weren't moving after you fell from the tower and I thought that was it, you were done." Celadon said as he cried into Carmine's shoulder.

Laurel turned on the lights and lit up the area "Yeah, I broke through the window in your room and these shutters came down behind me as I leaped in. Luckily, it didn't confine me to one room so I didn't starve to death." Celadon said with a chuckle, Carmine walked into his room and flipped the light on, looking around the room. He walked over to some monitors and flipped them on, the screens flickered to life and showed the outside of the base. "Alright Celadon, get cleaned up and ready, we're moving in two hours." Carmine said as he entered the armory again.

Celadon nodded and went to the bathroom, Carmine and Laurel started to collect ammo and weapons. Carmine pulled out a large crate and opened it, Carmine and Laurel loaded it up with assault rifles, sniper rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns, they lined the bottom with boxes of ammo and magazines.

Regalia looked around the headquarters, noting all the articles and accommodations on the wall "I never noticed all these newspaper articles the last time we were here." She said as she read one to herself "Local mercenaries stop bank robbery; hostages saved. A mercenary group known as Wolf Pack stop an attempted bank robbery by outgunning the would-be robbers, the criminals were apprehended and turned over to Vale Police. Wolf Pack declined a reward from the Mayor stating "We were just doing our job." Said the leader named Onyx."

"Wow, your brother was a very noble man." Regalia said as she rejoined the two men loading weapons into a crate, Celadon exited the bathroom and entered the armory. He had shaved off his beard and cleaned him up "There's the Celadon I know!" Carmine said happily, bumping fists with the sniper. Carmine put the lid back on the crate, locking it in place and with Laurels help, carried it to the back door. Regalia readied her Spectres and Celadon grabbed an AK-74 off the rack, loading a full mag and pulling back the slide "Ready" Celadon said as he slipped on his vest, tightening the sides.

Regalia opened the door and escorted the two men carrying the crate onto the loading dock, Celadon closed the door and locked it, resealing the HQ. The pistons kicked into place and sealed the door shut, he picked his rifle up and followed the group as they moved behind the buildings toward the exfil location. They turned a corner into an alley and came upon a horrifying sight, civilians lay dead against a wall, bullet holes and splatter patterns indicated they were executed. "Those poor souls, they didn't stand a chance." Carmine said as they moved past the decaying corpses, they picked up speed in hopes of getting away as fast as possible.

They moved into the street and ran toward the forest, their light gear clanging and shuffling as they moved. "So, why are you guys wearing those hoodies and bandanas? Are we robbing a bank?" Celadon asked with a chuckle, Carmine shook his head "Regalia's idea, we were trying to stay undercover." The rifleman said as they ran down the street, they turned the corner and came to a stop "Shit WF patrol, twelve o'clock." Carmine said, they slipped into an alley and sat down the crate.

Carmine and Laurel withdrew their submachine guns from their backpacks and pulled back the receiver bolt, chambering a round. "Four foot soldiers, two with assault rifles and two with LMGs." Regalia said as she peeked around the corner. CRCL Company stepped into the street and raised their guns, focusing on their targets. The WF turned to face them as they opened fire, the bullets ripped through the WF and dropped them to the ground, blood leaked from their bodies and pooled around them. The barrels of their guns smoked as they lowered them, the spent cartridges rolled on the ground.

Carmine folded the stock on the EVO, slipping it back into his backpack. Carmine and Laurel picked the crate up again and moved back into the street, Celadon covered the rear as they moved. They moved over the dead patrol and past the blockade, CRCL Company pushed into the forest and moved through the trees into a clearing. Carmine withdrew the flare gun and fired off the flare, into flew into the air and exploded into a red light.

Within minutes, a bullhead flew over the trees and circled around before landing, the back opened up and CRCL Company ran inside. The door sealed behind them as the VTOL took off into the sky, the bullhead flattened out as it flew across the sky, they reached Atlas in under an hour. The airship descended into the Schnee Docking Bay, the wheels touched down onto the ground as it landed, Carmine and Laurel carried the large crate out of the bullhead and sat it on a cart along with two large crates of dust.

Carmine and Celadon pushed the cart into the main hall, making their way to his room. Whitley stopped them as they turned the corner "What's in the crate, Carmine?" Whitley asked snobbishly, Carmine smirked, "Oh you know, Weapons, Dust, your mother." He said, Whitley looked agitated "What's wrong, Shitley? Can't take a joke?" Carmine asked as he pushed the cart to his room "You better watch yourself, you troll." Whitley said growling. Carmine pushed the handcart into his room and unloaded the crates, setting them against the wall by the closet "That should do for now. Now, I think we should go rehearse." Carmine said, leading his team out of his room and into the hallway.

As they walked down the hall, Carmine explained the situation to his team, catching Celadon up with everything. "Wow, what are you going to do when you see Blake again? I know she ran off without checking to see if you were alive but she knows you're strong and can withstand a lot more than a typical huntsman in training. No matter what happens, we'll be here for you." Celadon said, the others nodded in agreement as they entered a performance room outfitted with everything needed for a band performance.

Carmine took his position at the front and grabbed an electric guitar, Laurel took up an electric guitar and clicked on the amp, the electrical feedback echoed through the room, Regalia grabbed a bass and clicked on its amp, Celadon sat down at the drums in the back and tested each piece, everything checked out. Carmine tuned his guitar, turning the frets on the head of the guitar and lightly strumming as he made them perfect. "Now, we'll have an orchestra there to play the parts that we can't like if we need a violin or something." Carmine said as they readied themselves. Celadon clicked the drumsticks together as he counted up "One, Two, Three, Four!"

 ***4 Hours Later***

Carmine walked down the hall with his team after a successful practice, they entered his room and were greeted by Weiss who was standing with her hands behind her back "Hello Carmine, Regalia, Celadon, and Laurel. I hope you're well, I just wanted to wish you luck and drop off this formal wear for you." Weiss said as she gestured to three suits and a beautiful purple dress that hung on the wall. "Thank you Weiss, we greatly appreciate it." Regalia said, bowing to the heiress. "Well, I'll leave you to get dressed." She said, moving over to Carmine "See you tonight." She purred, pulling his head down and kissing him.

There was a stunned silence as Weiss left the room "Uh… So that happened." Laurel said, breaking the silence. Carmine shook it off and walked over to the formal wear "Regalia, you can take the bathroom to get dressed." He said handing her the purple dress and a holster, she looked confused "Just in case. We being hunted at this point, you can never be too safe." Carmine said, she nodded in agreement and entered the bathroom. The guys got dressed, they all had the same all-black suit, the only difference being their ties, Carmine's was red, Celadon's was green, and Laurel's was blue. Carmine handed them holsters and a pistol, they attached them on their backs and secured the pistols.

Carmine grabbed his Ithica 37 and attached it to his lower back underneath his blazer, Celadon checked the breakaway clip and secured it. He grabbed a few 12 gauge rounds and tossed them into his blazer pocket, buttoning it closed. Regalia stepped out in her dress, her hair out of its usual ponytail and running down her back, the guys couldn't help but stare "Good lord, you look amazing." Carmine said, complimenting his teammate. She blushed slightly "Thank you, sir. You look good yourself, as do the rest of you." Regalia said as she walked into the main room and grabbed a pistol from the box, loading a clip, racking the slide, chambering the round, and holstering it behind her.

She put on a pair of 6" black sneaker wedges, tying the black laces and walking around the room. CRCL Company finished getting ready and made their way to the ballroom, entering to a wall of stares and silence. Carmine raised his hand "Hey, how's everyone doing? That's good." Carmine said, moving toward the stage with his team, they stepped onto the stage and took their places like they rehearsed earlier.

Carmine cleared his throat to get everyone's attention "Hey there, we're tonight's entertainment. We're Team CRCL from Beacon, we were there at the fall and we greatly appreciate what you're doing." Carmine said, the crowd started to clap as the lights dimmed down, six lights kicked on and illuminated the stage.

 **(Carmine – CR, Celadon – CL, Laurel – L, Regalia – R)**

 **Ready, Set, Go – Royal Tailor (Changed a few words so it's not as gospelly.)**

Laurel started to play away on his guitar as Celadon kept the beat on the drums, Regalia played along as well.

 **CR:** **Lived so long with my eyes on me. Too deaf to hear, too blind to see. Oh, broken hearts on the city streets but I can hear that you're calling me to Be the hope, be the light, be the love Right now, starting right now.**

 **CR,L: Oh, you put my life in motion Your love makes me want to give my all, Ready set go Ready set go oh So no, I'm not holding back anymore Like an engine ready to explode I'm ready set go Ready set go oh, oh**

 **CR:** **Can't stop this clock is counting down, go down. So many lost waiting to be found, oh yeah I would go where you're leading me, Girl. Reach my hands to the least of these I'll be the hope, be the light, be the love Right now, starting right now.**

 **CR, L: Oh, you put my life in motion Your love makes me want to give my all, Ready set go Ready set go oh. So no, I'm not holding back anymore Like an engine ready to explode I'm ready set go Ready set go oh, oh.**

 **L:** **Give me the green light Show me the finish line No more spinning in circles No more wasting time So let it start today, where I flip the switch say You're my light, I won't fight, I'll go wherever you say To the top of the highest mountain To the bottom of every valley I'll be the spark that turns into the grand finale This love is something everyone needs to know Hearts are callin', no more stalling, it's just Ready set go.**

 **CR: Broken hearts on the city streets but I can hear that you're calling me to Be the hope, be the light, be the love Right now, starting right now.**

 **CR, L: Oh, you put my life in motion Your love makes me want to give my all Ready set go Ready set go oh So no, I'm not holding back anymore Like an engine ready to explode I'm ready set go Ready set go oh, oh.**

As the song ended the crowd cheered, Carmine thanked them as he picked up a guitar, placing the strap around his neck and shoulder. Carmine began to play as Celadon worked the kick drum.

 **Fantasy – Steel Panther**

 **Cr:** **City nights, summer breeze makes you feel alright Neon lights shining brightly make your brain ignite See the girl with the dresses so tight (L: Give your love) Give you love if the price is right. Black or white in the streets there's no wrong and no right. No right!**

 **Cr: Other side, buy your kicks from the man in white Feels alright, powder pleasure in your nose tonight See the men paint their faces and cry (L: Like some girl) Like some girl it makes you wonder why, City life sure is cool But it cuts like a knife, it's your life.**

 **Cr:** **So forget all that you see It's not reality it's just a fantasy. Can't you see, what this crazy life is doing to me**

 **Cr, L, Cl: Life is just a fantasy Can you live this fantasy life. My life is just a fantasy Can you live this fantasy life.**

 **Cr: Let's see you livin' now!**

Laurel stepped forward and shredded out a solo, his body moved with the guitar as he played.

 **Cr: So forget all that you see, It's not reality it's just a fantasy. Can't you see, what this crazy life is doing to me.**

 **Cr, L, Cl:** **Life is just a fantasy Can you live this fantasy life? My life is just a fantasy Can you live this fantasy life.**

Carmine and Laurel stood back to back as they played their guitars, keeping pace with each other as the song came to an end. The crowd cheered but Jacques didn't look pleased, Carmine sat down the guitar and walked to the microphone "We're going to take a fifteen-minute break and we'll be back." Carmine said before hopping off the stage.

He walked over to Weiss and her father "So, what did you think?" Carmine asked Weiss who looked excited "That was awesome!" She said hugging Carmine, Jacques grabbed her arm "What do you think you're doing? He is your bodyguard and nothing more!" Jacques scolded her, she looked down to the ground "Yes sir." She said defeated, Carmine stepped forward "Who the hell do you think you are? She can do as she pleases, with whoever she wants." Carmine said, poking Jacques in the chest.

Jacques narrowed his eyes "Don't you have a performance to do?" Jacques asked with a growl, Carmine turned around and walked back to the stage. He faced the crowd and shot a wink to Weiss who blushed, Jacques growled in anger "Who does he think he is?!" Jacques said through his teeth. "This next song goes out to Weiss Schnee." Carmine said with a smirk.

 **Delish – Hollywood Undead**

 **Cr: Funny Man, call me Randy Savage Say oh yeah I could do some damage I play the field like a west coast captain White CK's you know that I'm saggin Get down cause the moon is out I'm Undead that's without a doubt See me transform, what's that all about? I'm a freak with some fangs get some pussy now Dr. Feelgood expedition Check my brand, it's called Funny Delicious Rub my lamp while I grant your wishes, Hood magic for all y'all bitches.**

 **L:** **This is how we rock it for the ages We make you fucking famous I thought I told you it's about to go down This is how we rock it for the ages You wonder how we made it I thought I told you it's about to go down.**

 **Cr: Piece on my lap with the pistol grip Slip back to the cut no need to trip Rip back the bong so I can take a hit Yeah ease my mind I need to get lit You know I'm one of a kind The rims I roll are supersized Like four Big Macs without the fries I need a shake girl roll inside Too worthless get you rockin Once we roll there ain't no stoppin I'm so high like Mary Poppins, Supercalifragic - yo suck my dick.**

 **L: This is how we rock it for the ages We make you fucking famous I thought I told you it's about to go down. This is how we rock it for the ages You wonder how we made it I thought I told you it's about to go down (Cr: Come on, come on, it's about to go)**

 **Cr:** **From the top and the bottom, the bottom to the top It's all good if the party don't stop From the top and the bottom, the bottom to the top All y'all bitches better take another shot.**

 **L: We keep it on the broken key Put your hands up now Light it up and smoke them trees Blow it out with the crowd We keep it on them broken key So put your hands up now Light it up and smoke them trees Cause it's about to go down.**

 **Cr: It's about to go down!**

 **L: This is how we rock it for the ages We make you fucking famous I thought I told you it's about to go down This is how we rock it for the ages You wonder how we made it I thought I told you it's about to go down.**

 **L: This is how we rock it, rock it, It's about to go down. This is how we rock it, rock it, rock it, It's about to go down.**

As the song ended, the crowd went ballistic, the girls in the crowd were grabbing at Carmine and Laurel's legs, they had to back up "Holy shit, I didn't expect this kind of reaction. I just did that song to piss off Jacques." Carmine said with a chuckle. Weiss walked to the stage as Carmine was hoping off "Carmine, that was awesome! The crowd loved it." Weiss said hugging the rifleman who sighed "Yeah, I just wish Blake was here to see it." Carmine said, looking down. She grabbed his hand "Hey, you'll see her again. Don't worry, okay." She said, comforting him.

He smiled down at her "Thanks Weiss, it means a lot." Carmine said, pulling her into a hug. "Why don't you perform a song for her and I'll record it so you can show her next time you see her." Weiss suggested, Carmine nodded "That's a good idea, we'll get ready." He said, thanking her and running back to the stage. He stepped in front of the mic and spoke into it "We're going to switch things up real quick." He looked over to Weiss who had her scroll out, she gave him a thumbs up. He spoke up again "I want to dedicate this song to my girlfriend, Blake. Wherever you are, just know I love you." Carmine said as he picked up his guitar and began to play

 **Without You – Breaking Benjamin**

 **Cr: Search for the answers I knew all along I lost myself, we all fall down. Never the wiser of what I've become Alone I stand a broken man All I have is one last chance I won't turn my back on you Take my hand, drag me down If you fall then I will too And I can't save what's left of you.**

 **Cr, L: Say something new I have nothing left I can't face the dark without you. There's nothing left to lose, The fighting never ends I can't face the dark without you.**

 **Cr: Swallow me under and pull me apart I understand, there's nothing left. Pain so familiar and close to the heart No more, no less, I won't forget Come back down, save yourself I can't find my way to you And I can't bear to face the truth.**

 **Cr, L: Say something new I have nothing left I can't face the dark without you. There's nothing left to lose, The fighting never ends I can't face the dark without you.**

 **Cr: I wanted to forgive, I'm trying to forget Don't leave me here again. I am with you forever, the end.**

 **Cr, L: Say something new I have nothing left I can't face the dark without you. There's nothing left to lose, The fighting never ends I can't face the dark without you.**

 **Cr: Holding the hand that holds me down I forgive you, forget you, the end Holding the hand that holds me down I forgive you, forget you, the end.**

The crowd cheered as they finished playing, Carmine had a single tear running down his cheek but wiped it away as Laurel started playing again.

 **Like I'm Gonna Lose You – Meghan Trainor**

 **R: I found myself dreaming In silver and gold Like a scene from a movie That every broken heart knows We were walking on moonlight And you pulled me close Split second and you disappeared And then I was all alone. I woke up in tears With you by my side A breath of relief And I realized No, we're not promised tomorrow.**

 **R:** **So I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you I'm gonna hold you Like I'm saying goodbye Wherever we're standing I won't take you for granted 'cause we'll never know when When we'll run out of time. So I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you.**

 **Cr: In the blink of an eye Just a whisper of smoke You could lose everything The truth is you never know So I'll kiss you longer, baby Any chance that I get I'll make the most of the minutes And love with no regrets. Let's take our time To say what we want Use what we got Before it's all gone 'Cause no, we're not promised tomorrow.**

 **R, Cr: So I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you I'm gonna hold you Like I'm saying goodbye Wherever we're standing I won't take you for granted 'Cause we'll never know when When we'll run out of time So I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you.**

 **L, R, Cr: So I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you I'm gonna hold you Like I'm saying goodbye Wherever we're standing I won't take you for granted 'Cause we'll never know when When we'll run out of time So I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you I'm gonna love you Like I'm gonna lose you.**

When they finished, the crowd cheered and whistled, some of them had tears in their eyes. Carmine looked back and saw Regalia smiling as the crowd cheered, he gestured her forward. She came to the front of the stage as the cheers grew louder. Celadon and Laurel joined them at the front, Carmine grabbed the microphone "Alright, a quick break and then the finale!" Carmine said excitedly, the crowd cheered.

Carmine left the stage and joined Weiss as she was admiring a painting "Hey it's Beacon. Though it is missing the hole in the side of dorms, it's spot on." Carmine said with a chuckle, Weiss giggled "You just didn't know when to hold back. I'm surprised Jaune is alive after that." Weiss said, turning to face the rifleman but was interrupted by a man next to the painting. "It's beautiful, you two match." The man said, Carmine and Weiss both turn and thank the man at the same time, shocking him "I was talking to the girl, buddy." The man said, Carmine stared at him "I'm not your buddy, guy." Carmine said in a monotone, the man rolled his eyes and resumed chatting up Weiss.

"The name is Henry Marigold." Henry said extending his hand, Weiss shook it lightly "Weiss Schnee." She said politely, they looked back at the painting ignoring Carmine "What? Am I chopped liver? I just gave the performance of a lifetime." Carmine said, throwing his hands up and walking away. "So, you thinking about buying it?" Henry asked her as he leaned against a rail, Weiss shook her head "No, I don't think so." She said, he chuckled a bit "Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting." Carmine walked up behind him "It's to raise money." Weiss said, Henry laughed a bit "Oh really? For what?" Henry asked, Carmine tapped him on the shoulder "For Beacon, it was attacked. A lot of people died 3 months ago, I lost two friends that day, asshole." Carmine said, staring into his soul.

"Get Out." Weiss said in a serious tone, Henry looked shocked "What?" He asked confused, Carmine grabbed his shoulders "She said GET OUT." Carmine said, handing him off to Laurel who took him out of the building. "Thanks Carmine, he was such a dick." Weiss said, leaning her head against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. "Mmm, you're so warm." Weiss said as she nuzzled her face into his chest, he ran his fingers through her white hair. "Now, don't get too attached, Carmine." Weiss said in a somewhat sad voice. Carmine placed his head on hers "I know, we'll figure this out when we cross that bridge, as for now, let's finish this night off with a bang." Carmine said as he let Weiss go and climbed back up onto the stage with Regalia, Laurel, and Celadon.

 **Awake and Alive – Skillet**

 **Cr:** **I'm at war with the world and they Try to pull me into the dark I struggle to find my faith As I'm slipping from your arms.**

 **R: It's getting harder to stay awake And my strength is fading fast You breathe into me at last.**

 **Cr, R, L: I'm awake I'm alive Now I know what I believe inside Now it's my time I'll do what I want because this is my life Here (R: right here), right now (R: right now) (R: I'll stand my ground and never back down) I know what I believe inside I'm awake and I'm alive.**

 **Cr:** **I'm at war with the world because I Ain't never going to sell my soul I've already made up my mind No matter what I can't be bought or sold.**

 **R: When my faith is getting weak And I feel like giving in You breathe into me again.**

 **Cr, R, L: I'm awake I'm alive Now I know what I believe inside Now it's my time I'll do what I want because this is my life Here (R: right here), right now (R: right now) (R: I'll stand my ground and never back down) I know what I believe inside I'm awake and I'm alive.**

 **Cr, L:** **Waking up, waking up Waking up, waking up Waking up, waking up Waking up, waking up.**

 **Cr, R: In the dark I can feel you in my sleep In your arms I feel you breathe into me Forever hold this heart that I will give to you Forever I will live for you.**

 **Cr, R, L: I'm awake I'm alive Now I know what I believe inside Now it's my time I'll do what I want because this is my life Here (R: right here), right now (R: right now) (R: I'll stand my ground and never back down) I know what I believe inside I'm awake and I'm alive.**

 **Cr, L: Waking up, waking up Waking up, waking up Waking up, waking up Waking up, waking up.**

As they finished, the lights cut out and the crowd cheered, chanting "Charcoal! Charcoal!" They walked to the front of the stage and bowed, Carmine grabbed the microphone and shouted into it "Thank you Atlas, Good Night!" CRCL Company left the stage and exited the ballroom. Team CRCL walked down the hallway "Man that was so fun!" Carmine said as he loosened up his tie, the others nodded in agreement "Yeah it was! The crowd loved us." Laurel said, the others agreed as they reached Carmine's room.

As they walked inside, Carmine removed the shotgun from his back and placed it on his nightstand, tossing his jacket onto the bed "Alright, tomorrow we head for Menagerie to find Blake." Carmine said, addressing his team, the cheered in response "Yeah, let's go get her!" Celadon cheered.

Carmine smiled "I'm glad to see you're on board." Carmine said, his team looked at him blankly for a moment "Carmine, we'll always have your back, no matter what." Laurel said, Regalia and Celadon nodded in agreement. Regalia clapped her hands together "Alright, let's get to sleep, we got a big day tomorrow." She said as she grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom to change, emerging later in purple pajama bottoms and a black shirt. Carmine hopped in bed as the others got into makeshift beds "Night guys!" Carmine said as he turned off the lights.

 ***The Next Day***

Laurel shook Carmine awake "Wake up, we got to go if we want to make it to Menagerie by noon." Laurel said as Carmine slowly pulled himself out of bed "Alright, let me get ready." Carmine said tiredly as he shuffled to the bathroom, he emerged thirty minutes later refreshed and ready. He threw his gear on and prepped his holsters, loading his sidearms into them. He attached his pistol grip shotgun to his lower back along with a serrated machete in a sheath attached to his backpack that held his munitions.

He finished tying his boots and stood up, grabbing his gas mask with the red visor and hooking it to his holster. His team finished their prepping and stood before Carmine, weapons in hand and ready to go: Regalia with her Honey Badger and UMP-45, Laurel with his Stryker, and Celadon with his M107. Carmine walked over to Celadon "I'm glad to see you kept it protected." Carmine said, addressing the rifle. Celadon nodded and adjusted the rifle's position "Yeah, I would never let anything happen to it." He said, resting the barrel on his shoulder.

Carmine led them out of the room and into the hall, making their way to the air docks. They moved from a walk to a jog, picking up speed as they turned a corner. They came to a stop as Weiss walked out of her room, Carmine tripped on the carpet as he slid to a stop, falling to her feet with a thud. She giggled as he picked himself up "Falling for me, Carmine?" She asked seductively, Carmine brushed himself off "Eh, maybe. We're going to Menagerie to find Blake." Carmine said as he fixed his IBA, Weiss's eyes went wide "Menagerie?! That is mainly Faunus, you might be killed on sight." She said worriedly, Carmine waved her off "Weiss, it's us we're talking about, we'll be fine." Carmine said with his hands on his hips, Weiss hugged him "Just be careful." She said as she hugged him tightly.

Carmine rubbed her back "Hey, we'll be fine. Don't worry, I'll see you when we get back, with or without Blake." Carmine said hugging her, she let go and walked down the hall. They resumed their jog to the docks where they boarded an airship, Carmine spoke to the pilot "Menagerie, as fast as possible." Carmine said, handing him four hundred lien. The pilot nodded and fired up the engines, the airship lifted off of the ground and shot into the sky, breaking through the clouds and circling around the main tower. The ship picked up speed as it made its way southeast toward the small island.

"Alright guys, we got about two hours before we land, I advise getting some rest." Carmine said as he started loading his weapons, Laurel addressed the elephant in the room "Are we expecting a "warm" welcome?" Laurel asked with air quotes, Carmine shrugged "It's better to be safe than sorry." Carmine said as he slapped a clip into his Scar. He pulled out his 500 and opened the reel, inserting red tipped rounds into the cylinders, he closed the reel and reinserted it into his holster. He opened his bag and pulled a red box, opening the lid to reveal a box of red grenades, he took out three and passed the box down, everyone took out three leaving the box empty.

Two hours passed as they rested in the back, the pilot came over the intercom "I can't get permission to land, prepare for HALO jump." The intercom cut off as Carmine stood up and handed each member of his team a parachute "Alright, when the light turns green jump, watch your altitude and pull the cord at 2000 feet. With luck, we won't show up on a radar." Carmine said as he slipped on the parachute.

He put their backpacks into a box and closed the lid, he fastened the boxes parachute and pushed it out the back, the box plummeted toward the ground and the parachute shot open. The box started blinking a blue light as it landed on the ground, Carmine got a running start and leaped out the back, his hood blew back as he flew towards the ground. Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia followed him down toward the ground, they rocketed toward the ground while closely monitoring their gauge. Carmine ripped the cord causing the parachute to open up, catching the wind and slowing his descent, he landed in a clearing in the woods and rolled to a stop.

He pulled the straps of the parachute off of his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground as he pulled out his Scar and secured the area around him. His team landed behind him and did as he did, they pushed to the forest following the sound of a beacon. They came upon the box and removed the lid, extracting their bags and moving toward the main city.

As they broke through the tree line and pushed into the town, they holstered their weapons "Act natural, if they suspect us, run." Carmine said as he moved through the streets, people moved out of the way while some stared at the heavily armed, masked man walking through the street. As they walked, Carmine couldn't shake the feeling of being followed "Look alive, I think we're being followed." Carmine said as he turned into an alley, his team followed behind him.

A hooded figure turned down the alley following them as they walked, as they turned the corner they were cut off by two more hooded figures. CRCL drew their weapons and chose their targets "What do you want?" Carmine shouted, a figure stepped forward "We could ask you the same thing, human." The hooded figure hissed, "We're here to find someone, we have no ill will towards you." Carmine said, the snake Faunus waved him off "Bullshit, we know who you are Carmine Sable, killer of Faunus." He said with venom, Carmine chuckled "I take it you're with the White Fang, your brothers attacked us at Beacon in case you don't know." Carmine said, the hooded figure scoffed "You're lying! You just kill Faunus and innocent people."

Carmine sighed "Did the White Fang tell you that? Did they tell you that they were working with humans." Carmine said, shifting his weight to one leg. "It doesn't matter, I've stalled you long enough." The snake Faunus said as Carmine's teammates were apprehended, before he could react Carmine was knocked out. He woke up in a daze as he was thrown onto the ground, he was pulled to his knees as his teammates were put on their knees beside him. A hooded man with fox ears walked in front of him "Now you will answer to the Island chieftain." The Faunus said as he approached a large door and knocked on it with the knocker.

A woman answered the door, Carmine could barely see as he regained consciousness "Ghira!" She called into the house, a large man with black hair came to the door "Yes, what is it?" He asked, the fox Faunus fumbled with his words "We found these humans in town, we brought them here to see what should be done with them. They were heavily armed, the one in black is Carmine the destroyer." The Faunus said, Carmine started laughing "That's the name you gave me? That is too good." Carmine said as he laughed. The snake Faunus walked over and kicked him in the gut "Shut up, dog!" The Faunus hissed, Carmine bent over as the kick knocked the air out of him.

As Carmine was bent over, he heard a familiar voice "Dad, who is it?" Blake asked, walking outside. "It's nothing Blake, go back inside." Ghira said, but Blake didn't move "What is the White Fang doing here!?" She asked angrily, Ghria calmly spoke "This is Corsac and Fennec Albain. They represent the White Fang here in Menagerie now." He said gesturing to the hooded men, Fennec stepped forward "Yes, we were just bringing these human intruders to his attention." Fennec said gesturing to Team CRCL, Blake stepped down the stairs as she noticed Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia on their knees next to a fourth person who was face down in the dirt "Carmine? Carmine is that you?" She asked the man lying face down.

Carmine sat up on his knees while still looking down "Hey there, little kitty." Carmine said softly, looking up slowly. Blake was speechless as she stood there covering her mouth, Ghira spoke up "Blake, do you know these humans?" He asked, Blake fell to her knees "Carmine, I'm so sorry I left you, I should have made sure you were alive." She said as she started to cry, but Carmine tried to comfort her "Shhh Hey it's okay, I understand. I would have ran too if I saw Adam, that dude has to wear a mask because he's so ugly." Carmine said jokingly, Blake chuckled through her tears.

"Blake, who's this man?" Ghira asked, Blake turned around "Dad, this is Carmine Sable, he's my boyfriend." Blake said helping Carmine to his feet, Ghira looked shocked "My daughter is dating a human?!" Ghira walked over to Carmine and pulled him close to him, staring into the red visor. "HA HA! That is wonderful!" Ghira laughed, pulling Carmine into a bear hug, everyone looked shocked "Fennec, untie them!" Ghira demanded, the hooded figures cut off CRCLs binds, freeing them. "But sir, he killed a lot of White Fang!?" Corsac exclaimed confused, Ghira let Carmine go "I know what he has done and he did it for two reasons: He was paid to do it and the White Fang were posing a threat to civilians. We want change the human's view of us but not at the expense of innocent lives." Ghira said.

Carmine cleared his throat "May I have my weapons back?" He asked the snake Faunus who hissed at him before handing him his bag with his guns, the other hooded figures gave Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia back their weapons. Laurel snatched his shotgun back and gritted his teeth as he placed it on his back, they stepped forward to stand with Carmine who was fixing his wrists "Sir, we are Team CRCL of Beacon. You have Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia." Carmine said as he introduced his team, Celadon saluted, Laurel nodded, and Regalia gave a curtsy. Ghira slammed his fist onto his chest "It is an honor to meet you all, you're regarded as heroes of Beacon, according to Blake and the other one." Ghira said as he shook each of their hands and led them inside.

Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia went inside with Ghira leaving Blake and Carmine out front, Carmine turned his attention to the hooded figures "So which one of you is going to go running back Adam?" Carmine asked cracking his knuckles but Blake stopped him "Just let them go, we have much to talk about." Blake said taking his hand in hers, he looked back to them "You come back, you better be ready to square up cause we throwing dukes." Carmine said as he followed her inside, shutting the door behind them.

Blake guided him into a side room and shutting the door behind them, locking it. "Man, this is a nice place your parents got here." Carmine said looking around, unaware that his girlfriend was getting ready to pounce. Blake pushed him to the ground and straddled his waist "I've missed you so much, Carmine. I need you right now." She said seductively, pulling at the bottom of her shirt but Carmine stopped her "Blake wait, I need to tell you something." He said setting her down on the floor, she tilted her head "What's up, Carmine?" She asked rubbing his back, he pulled his gas mask off and sat it on the table next to him.

"Blake, I messed up. I was weak and hurt that you ran away, I was hurt that I thought you didn't love me anymore. I wished I had died from the fall off the tower." Carmine said with tears in his eyes, Blake grabbed his hand "Carmine, talk to me. What's wrong? You can tell me." She said trying to comfort her boyfriend, Carmine wiped away his tears "Okay, look I… I had sex with Weiss. She would stay with me because I'd have these PTSD flashbacks to the fall of Beacon and after a day of intense combat, the tension had reached a breaking point. The next morning I was riddled with so much guilt, I didn't think I deserved to see you again." Carmine said, hanging his head in shame.

Blake let go of his hand and covered her mouth "Carmine… Do you still love me?" She asked softly, he looked into her amber eyes "More and more each day." He said in a soft tone, she grabbed his hand "Then I forgive you, I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me the most." She said in a happy tone of voice, Carmine hugged her "I love you, Blake." He said, she wrapped her arms around him "I love you too, Carmine." Blake said, kissing him on the lips. "Did she say anything the morning after about us?" Blake asked curiously, Carmine chuckled "She said she didn't mind sharing." Carmine said, laying back down on the floor.

Blake straddled his waist again "Me either." She said as she started kissing him and biting his neck. Carmine grabbed her shoulders "Wait what?! What did you say?" Carmine asked confused, Blake giggled "I don't mind sharing either. Think of it as a harem or something. I mean you did call yourself 'Carmine Sable: Slayer of Grimm and Women.' " She said quoting him, Carmine stared in disbelief "You are okay with this?" He asked confused still, she kissed him on the neck "Whatever gets you in my pants the fastest. But yes, I'm fine with it, hell I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it." Blake said blushing, Carmine was internally celebrating 'Fuck Yes! WOOHOO! Hey! We want some PUSSY!' Carmine cheered in his head.

 ***Medium NSFW***

Blake sat up and pulled her shirt off, revealing a black lacy bra to her boyfriend, Carmine placed his hands on her waist and lightly squeezed. She let out a light moan and started kissing his neck again, as she leaned down he unclipped her bra and pulled it off. She sat up as he placed his hands on her breasts, massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples. She arched her back in ecstasy as he caressed her body, Carmine pulled her down and kissed her neck. He lightly blew into her ear, causing her to moan louder as she bit his neck, drawing blood. He reached up and lightly caressed her cat ears "Damn it, just take me already!" Blake begged, Carmine stood up and picked her up, placing her on the table. He pulled her close to him "Get ready, this gon' be fun." Carmine said as unfastened his belt.

 ***End NSFW***

Carmine pulled his pants back up and fastened the belt, pulling on his hoodie and IBA. He handed Blake her bra which she reattached as she was pulling up her pants "Thanks, that was so fun." She said as she pulled her shirt down, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close "I'm here for you, whatever you need, whenever you need it. Just ask." Carmine said, planting a kiss on her lips, she stared into his crimson eyes and he gazed into her amber eyes, they told him 'I'm yours, now and forever.' He smiled "I love you, Blake Belladonna." Carmine said holding her in his arms, she smiled back at him "And I love you, Carmine Sable." She replied with a purr in her voice.

There was a knock at the door "Blake? Is everything okay? We heard a lot of noise." Ghira called from the other side of the door, Blake shuffled to get her stuff fixed "Uh… Yeah, he was just showing me a video from Vale. We'll be out in a minute." Blake called, handing Carmine his revolver, he took it and holstered it on his left side. Carmine walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it up to the rest of the house "Hey there, Ghira. No need to worry, your daughter is in good hands." Carmine said nodding his head, Ghira wrapped his arm around Carmine "So tell me son, is it true you took on two teams at once at Beacon?" Ghira asked intrigued, Carmine chuckled "Yeah, I had to prove a point that rules and I don't get along, since I proved myself, I didn't have to wear a uniform ever." Carmine said rubbing his head.

Ghira laughed "So you're a rebel? Makes sense, you don't seem like one who conforms." The large man said heartily, slapping Carmine on the back. They walked into the living room where Celadon, Laurel, Regalia, and Sun were talking to Blake's mom "This is great tea, Mrs. Belladonna. Thank you for your hospitality." Regalia said bowing her head. Everyone turned their attention to Carmine as he walked in, his gear occasionally clanging around as he sat down on the floor, Blake sat down next to him. "Sun? When did you get here?" Carmine asked curiously, Sun nearly choked on his tea "Uh… Well you see… it's funny… uh…" Sun fumbled with his words but Blake stopped him "He came after me, saying that I needed to stop running, when I refused he said too bad and he ain't leaving. He's been looking after me." She explained, Sun exhaled a sigh of relief.

Carmine sipped from his cup as they chatted away about nothing in particular until there was a bang at the door "We want the human!" Someone yelled into the house from outside, Carmine ran to the front door with the others behind him. He opened the door to see a group of hooded Faunus standing out front, a large figure stepped forward "We want the human known as Carmine." The figure demanded, Carmine chuckled as he stepped down the stairs "I told you if you come back you'd better be ready to throw dukes, so square up." Carmine said as he cracked his knuckles, the large figure growled and ripped off his robes to reveal he was a Bear Faunus with ears and muscular, furry arms.

"They call me Grizzly or Griz for short and I'm going to put you in the ground." Griz snarled and punched his fists together, Carmine unfastened his IBA and handed it Celadon, he unzipped his hoodie and tossed it to Regalia. He pulled on a pair of gloves with studs on the knuckles, he punched his fists together that sent an audible CLANG echoing through the surrounding area. "Hey Ghira, you got an audio system out here? I wanna listen to something good while I beat this fucker down." Carmine said with a smirk as he stretched, he turned around revealing his back tattoo to the Faunus behind him, it read 'NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER.' Ghira walked back out with a large speaker, Carmine tossed him his scroll "Plug it in and hit play." Carmine said as he readied himself.

Ghira plugged it in and hit play on the scroll, the speakers started screaming as electronic sounding music came out.

 **Undead – Hollywood Undead**

 **UNDEAD! UNDEAD! UNDEAD! UNDEAD! UNDEAD!**

Carmine walked forward and raised his fists, stepping sideways as he and Griz had a standoff of moving around in circles "You swing first, bitch." Carmine said, antagonizing Griz who charged him.

 **You better get up out the way, Tomorrow we'll rise so we fight today, And no, I don't give a Fuck what you think and say, Cause we are gonna rock This whole place anyway.**

Carmine grabbed his shoulders and drove his knee into Griz's chest before driving his elbow down into his nose, Griz stumbled backward holding his nose, blood coated his hands and chest.

 **Now I see that mother Fucker writing on the wall When you see, J-3-T, 30 deep I'm down to brawl, Fuck those haters I see, Cause I hate that you breathe, I see you duck, you little punk, You little fucking disease, I got H.U. tatted on the front of my arm, The Boulevard, brass knuckles In the back of the car, Cause we drunk drive Cadillacs, we never go far, And when you see us mother fucker's, Better know who we are.**

 **I got one thing to say to punk asses who hate, Mother Fucker's who don't know what, you better watch what you say. From these industry fucks, to these faggot ass punks, you don't know what it takes, to get this mother fucker drunk. I'm already loud maybe, It's a little too late, Johnny's taking heads off, Of all the faggots who hate, Cause I like God mother fucker And there's a price to pay, I am a God, mother fucker And it's judgment day!**

Griz wiped away the blood and raised his fists again, snarling and showing his teeth. Carmine gestured him to bring it on, raising his fists as the bear Faunus charged him. Griz swung rapidly trying to hit Carmine but he kept dodging, Griz side stepped Carmine and attempted to kick Carmine in the gut. Carmine caught his leg and pulled Griz to him, throwing his fist into Griz's chest sending him into the ground.

 **I'm getting used to this nuisance, And all the fags who bad mouth this music, How fucking stupid and foolish Of you to think you can do this, You cowards can't, you never will, Don't even try to pursue it. I took the chance, I played the pill, I nearly died for this music.**

 **You make me wanna run around, Pulling my guns out and shit, Your tempting me to run my mouth, And call you out on this bitch, How ignorant you gotta be, To believe any of this, You need to slit your wrist, Get pissed and go jump off a bridge,**

 **What? You can't see the Sarcasm in the verses I spit? What? You think I just got lucky And didn't work for this shit? Bitch. I've been working at This ever since I was a kid, I played a million empty shows To only family and friends.**

 **What kind of person can Dis a band that deserves to get big? I hate to be that person when My verse comes out of the kid's lips. That shits as worse as it gets. This verse is over, I quit. Signed Charlie Sheen On your girlfriend's tits.**

Griz picked himself up quickly and got ready again, he stepped back and tagged in a wolf Faunus who hopped in and started swinging at Carmine left and right, the rifleman blocked them with ease, countering with elbows and knees to the chest. Carmine moved his foot behind the wolf and tripped him, as the wolf hit the ground Carmine drove his knee down into his chest and proceeded to beat the living shit out of him, punching him in the throat. He stood up and backed up, focusing on the bear "You! Here! Now!" Carmine shouted pointing to the ground, the bear re-entered the fight as the wolf was dragged out of the way.

 **White boys with tattoos, We are pointing right at you, We are breaking everything, R-rowdy like a classroom, pack of wolves, Cause we don't follow the rules, And when you're running your mouth, Our razor blades come out.**

Griz charged at Carmine who delivered a roundhouse to the side of Griz's head followed by a seven-piece combo to his ribs, Griz hunched over in pain holding his gut. Carmine glanced over and saw a large rock, he backed up a little as Griz stood up and yelled in anger.

 **Why you always pressing? You know I'm never stressing, With fucking D-M-S, J-Johnny to my left, Got Phantom and the rest, Who are down there at the west, A grew up by drive-by's and LA gang signs, So what the fuck do you know about being a gangsta? What the fuck do you know About being in danger? You ain't doing this, So you know your just talking shit. Mad at all the boys because Every song is a fucking hit.**

Carmine turned around and ran toward the rock as Griz chased him, as he reached the rock he leaped and placed his foot on the rock, pushing himself into the air toward Griz. As he got closer he cocked back his right arm and drove his fist down into Griz's face, successfully delivering a superman punch. The sound of bone breaking echoed through the area, Griz grabbed his jaw and stumbled backward.

 **Mother fucking time to ride, (Ride) (Undead!) See you duck when we drive by, (By) (Undead!) Mother fucking time to ride, (Ride) (Undead!) Watch you fucker's just die, (Die) (Undead!)**

Carmine walked over to him and drove his right foot across his face, sending him to the ground unconscious as the music ended. "Yeah, who else wants some?!" Carmine shouted, raising his arms up, the hooded figures picked up Griz and carried him away along with the wolf. "Yeah, I thought so. You better think twice whenever I'm around!" Carmine yelled to the retreating figures, he walked back to the group behind him.

"Wow Carmine, that was amazing! I never knew you had a back tattoo." Blake said, Carmine shrugged as he pulled his hoodie back on, zipping it up and pulling on his IBA, securing the sides. "We shouldn't have a problem with them anytime soon. I'm ready for round two though." Carmine said, punching his fists together, sending out another CLANG. Ghira looked at his hands "What's in the gloves?" Ghira asked Carmine curiously, Carmine lifted his hands up "Reinforced steel plates." Carmine said with a grin, Ghira let out a hearty laugh as they walked back inside "Blake I like this guy, he has the heart of a warrior but the mind of a tactician." Ghira said slapping Carmine's back causing him to stumble, Sun caught him "I gotcha buddy." Sun said as he grabbed Carmine.

Kali walked into the room "So the White Fang has become that bad?" She asked, Carmine sat down in a chair "Yes ma'am, Sienna Khan has changed everything. Robbing Atlas trains, they attacked Beacon, executed civilians in Vale, it was bad. I plan to take them out and restore the white fang to what it used to be." Carmine said as he pulled off his boots and gloves, placing them beside the chair. Blake sat down on his lap, laying on his chest and holding him. Kali placed her hand on her chest "Awww, young love." She said as Ghira held her.

Regalia cleared her throat "So what is the game plan now?" She asked standing next to Laurel and Celadon who hand their hands behind their back. Carmine thought for a moment "Well, if they can get permission to land, we can get an airship to pick us up." Carmine said as he held Blake in his arm, Ghira nodded "I'll get the word to air traffic control to let an Atlas ship land here tomorrow." Ghira said as he sat down with his wife. "Now, how did you two meet?" Kali asked the couple sitting in the chair across from them.

"Well… I was tasked with taking on two teams at once in order to obtain freedom from wearing a uniform, well Blake's team was one of the teams I fought. Whenever Blake and I were about to fight, I took my gas mask off and looked into her eyes, she saw my past and I saw something I hadn't seen in a long time, a spark that showed hope and compassion. A spark I last saw in my fiancée or would be fiancee, she was killed by a woman named Cinder. Cinder is one of the people responsible for the fall of Beacon, I was tasked with eliminating her years ago but we failed, and as a result, my would-be fiancée was kidnapped and killed." Carmine said, explaining why he fell for Blake.

"My word, that sounds so horrible I couldn't imagine such a thing happening. You truly do have the heart of a warrior, the strength of twenty Ursa, and the willpower of a prophet." Ghira said in praise, Carmine nodded his head, thanking the tank of a man. Blake looked at Carmine with a grin "That's high praise coming from my dad." She said kissing her boyfriend, they continued to talk about their time together at Beacon and all their adventures.

The sun had sunk beneath the horizon as darkness engulfed Menagerie, the moon rose into the night sky like a soaring Nevermore, shining light across the island. Carmine held Blake in his arms as they gazed into the night sky, a shooting star screamed across the sky "Make a wish." Carmine said as he hugged her tighter, she thought for moment "I wish for us to be together forever." She said as she buried her head into his chest, he ran his fingers through her hair "I can see that wish coming true." Carmine whispered, Blake smiled as she held her boyfriend "I love you, Carmine." She said, looking up into his crimson eyes, he gazed down into her amber eyes "I love you too, Blake." He replied yawning "Someone's tired." She said playfully, he smiled at her and stood up, picking her up bridal style.

He carried her back to the house and into the room he was staying in, he laid her on the bed. As he hovered over her and stared into her eyes, she pulled him into her embrace, pressing her lips to his. Their tongues fought for dominance over the others mouth, Blake had won this round. She pushed him over and straddled his waist, pinning his hands to the bed "Someone's feeling frisky." Carmine said with a wink, she giggled and attacked his neck. He grabbed her waist and ran his hands upward along her body, eliciting a moan from the Faunus on top of him, she flipped her hair out of her face "You know just what to do, don't you?" She said playfully, Carmine shrugged and started kissing her neck. She stopped him and sat up, pulling at bottom of her shirt 'Holy shit my girlfriend is sooo awesome! Fuck yes!' Carmine internally screamed as Blake took her top off "I'm gonna rock your world, babe." She purred seductively.

 **The next day**

Carmine woke up and pulled Blake into his arms, wrapping his arms around her torso "Morning sweetheart." Blake said, turning over and kissing him. "Oh gods I love you so much." Carmine said kissing her passionately, he got out of bed and got dressed. Blake rolled over into his spot "Pass me my bra, would you?" Blake asked, Carmine reached down and handed her the black, lacy bra. Carmine pulled a shirt out of his bag, pulling it over his scarred body. "So the airship comes today?" Blake asked, Carmine shook his head "Yeah, you going with us?" He asked as he put his shoes on "Yeah, I just need to…" Blake was cut off by an alarm sounding "What the fuck is that?" Carmine asked out loud as he ran to the window.

Carmine peered out across Menagerie looking for the source of the alarm, he saw people pointing at something in the distance but could barely see it. "Celadon, bring your rifle!" Carmine called down the hall, minutes later Celadon ran in with his M107, Laurel and Regalia followed him "What is it?" Regalia asked confused, Carmine looked down the scope of the rifle at the object in the distance. Carmine handed the rifle back to Celadon, looking physically shaken "What is it?" Everyone asked curiously, Carmine turned around "It's an Arleigh–Burke Class Destroyer, I've seen this ship before though and it's occupied by the White Fang." Carmine said shaking the fear from himself. He clapped his hands together "Alright, who wants to sink a ship?" Carmine asked pulling out his revolver.

 **(Thank you for reading! Tune in next time to see what happens to Carmine and friends. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a review, every review helps. Feel free to PM me about anything and as always, This is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.)**


	12. Chapter 12: Power Move

Chapter 12: Power Move

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review.**

Sirens blared throughout Menagerie as Team CRCL sprinted into town, the citizens ran in the other direction fleeing danger. There were a few citizens standing on the docks pointing at a ship in on the horizon, Team CRCL came to a stop and gazed at the battleship in the distance. "What's the plan, Carmine?" Regalia asked as she readied her Honey Badger, chambering a round from the magazine.

"Well, I don't think we have the munitions to sink it so I guess we're gonna have to board it." Carmine said scratching his head, a loud boom could be heard from the distance. The sound echoed across the sea as two artillery shells screamed through the air, the first shell hit a building and reduced it to a crater while the second one hit the town square behind them, chunks of concrete and dirt were sent flying in all directions. As the dust cleared Carmine heard someone scream behind him, he spun around and was faced with an all too familiar sight. A woman with cat ears knelt in the crater cradling another person with cat ears, she couldn't have been more than 14 years old.

Carmine raced over and slid to a stop, kneeling down beside the woman as Regalia came to a stop near them. Carmine grabbed the teenager from her mother's arms and started performing CPR, using his hands to deliver chest compressions "COME ON DAMNIT!" Carmine yelled as he pushed down one more time, the girl sucked in air as she came back to life, the mother wrapped her arms around her "Oh thank the gods you're alive!" She cried out, tears streaming down her face, she looked up at Carmine "Thank you so much, how can we ever repay you?" She asked as she held her daughter, Carmine shook his head "I was just doing my job, now after Regalia patches you up get out of town, it's about to get worse." Carmine said as Regalia's hands started glowing purple, projecting her aura into the two Faunus.

The mother and daughter ran toward the town exit as Carmine stood up and looked at the ship in the distance, he clenched his fists in anger "Find us a boat, I feel like being a pirate today." Carmine said in a low tone, Celadon nodded and made his way to the pier. Just as Carmine was about to make his way back to the Belladonna house, an Atlas VTOL flew over and landed on a landing pad nearby. Carmine sprinted toward the airship with Laurel and Regalia behind him, he came to a stop by the pilot's window "We're not leaving but I need you to get a message to Ironwood. Tell him to ready the TLAMs to fire on my beacon." Carmine said, the pilot nodded and restarted the airship, quickly taking to the air again.

The VTOL flew through the air toward Atlas but was ripped out of the air by the destroyers Centurian anti-air defense "Well… Fuck." Carmine said as the VTOL crashed into the water, Celadon came running up to him "Hey, I found a boat but bad news, it's a merchant ship." Celadon said panting, Carmine shrugged his shoulders "Eh, it'll do I guess, everyone ready up." He announced, clapping his hands together.

Celadon sprinted back to the pier as Carmine, Laurel, and Regalia ran back to the Belladonna house. Blake, Ghira, and Kali stood on the front porch with fear plastered on their faces "What is it? What was that explosion?" Ghira asked as his daughter ran off the porch into her boyfriend's arms, he caught her in his embrace "It's the White Fang, they stole an Atlas destroyer, one capable of firing cruise missiles." Carmine explained as he held Blake close, she buried her face into his chest "Please don't go." She pleaded but Carmine patted her head "I'll be fine Blake, I need you to make sure everyone is safe over here while I take care of these unwanted guests." Carmine said as Blake let go of him, she nodded in agreement.

Laurel and Regalia went into the house and grabbed a backpack labeled Carmine, Laurel tossed it down the stairs to the awaiting hooded man. "Alright, let's go fuck shit up!" Carmine shouted, Laurel and Regalia cheered behind him. They returned to the town square where Celadon was waiting with the merchant ship "Let's go, I think they're zeroing in on us." Celadon shouted as he waved them over to him. Carmine ran and hopped into the boat, taking control behind the wheel and starting the boat up, the engine rumbled as it idled along, Regalia climbed in and made her way to the front of the boat. Laurel detached the mooring from the dock and hopped in "Punch it!" Laurel shouted, Carmine pushed the throttle forward causing the boat to take off, ripping through the water.

"Alright when we board the ship, Celadon I want you to take out the tower and take control of it. Laurel and Regalia, I want you to clear the munitions area to prevent them from leveling Menagerie. I'll take care of the main deck, I'll do my best not to sink the ship." Carmine explained as they got closer, bullets flew from the deck of the destroyer most of them hitting the water "Look alive, it's go time!" Carmine shouted as he pushed the throttle down more, the engine let out a deep growl as it tore through the water. Carmine circled the boat around the rear to an opening on the side, he pulled the boat up to the opening "GO GO GO!" Carmine shouted as he lifted his teammates into the ship. Celadon was the first to enter, he pulled himself into the ship and took point, looking out for White Fang patrols. He scanned the area with his G36 drawn, he replaced it on his back and helped the others into the ship.

"Now, let's retake this ship from these mother fuckers!" Carmine exclaimed as he drew his Scar and chambered a round, White Fang rushed through the bulkhead door and fired at the huntsmen in training, bullets ricocheted off of the metal walls as they flew past Team CRCL. Carmine pulled a red grenade from his pouch and ripped the pin off, tossing over the cover he was using. The grenade exploded into a ball of fire, coating the WF in burning dust, they screamed in agony as the fire burned their skin. They dropped to their knees and keeled over, their bodies contorting into the feedle position, Carmine stood up and moved through the burned bodies putting down any survivors.

Carmine climbed the stairwell and came to a hallway, Carmine and Celadon went left while Laurel and Regalia took the right. Carmine and Celadon came to a ladder leading up, Carmine climbed up and opened the hatch "Alright, this leads to the deck. Get ready for a fight." Carmine said in a hushed tone, he pushed the hatch open and climbed out onto the deck. He raised his rifle at the WF soldiers, he quickly dispatched them, putting two in each of their chests. Carmine sprinted forward and drove his shoulder into a soldier's chest, throwing him into the wall.

The soldier collapsed to the ground and gasped trying to catch his breath, Carmine brought his boot down on the back of his neck, sending an audible crack echoing across the deck of the ship. He holstered his rifle and withdrew the shotgun on his lower back, he cocked the pump, chambering a buckshot and launching the pellets into an oncoming soldier. The WF soldier dropped to the ground in a pool of his own blood, Carmine sprinted ahead as Celadon breached the control tower.

Carmine reattached the shotgun to his lower back and withdrew his Scar, transforming it into its sword form, Carmine charged forward and slashed the chest of a soldier standing in front of the main cannons, he then plunged the blade into the guard's chest and dropped him to the ground. Carmine pulled the sword from the dead soldier's chest and shook the blood from it, He pressed his earpiece and radioed Celadon "Front deck is clear, I'll hold thi…" Carmine began to explain but was cut off by loud footsteps, a large man walked forward toward Carmine.

The man wore a white fang uniform with an IBA ballistic vest and full face grimm mask, he stepped forward carrying a Gatling gun with large barrels and raised it up toward Carmine, Carmine let go of his earpiece "You the captain of this ship?" Carmine asked as he placed his hand on his holstered 500. The man let out a growl, Carmine chuckled "I take that as a yes. Did Sienna Khan send you to kill me?" Carmine asked the heavy who shook his head. "TAURUS…" The heavy said in a deep tone, Carmine tilted his head "Right… So what are your plans with this ship?" Carmine asked as he moved to the right of the main cannon, the heavy pressed a button on his neck "Fire." The man said into a microphone, the main quad barrel cannon on the front came to life and raised up, loud explosions rang out as artillery shells shot out of the main gun.

The shells screamed across the sky as they neared Menagerie, the shells peppered the island and ripped through houses and other buildings. Carmine turned back to the heavy "You're gonna pay for that you son of a bitch!" Carmine yelled as he drew his Scar, the captain raised his Gatling gun and spun up the reel, 40mm grenades shot out of the barrel and exploded around Carmine who rolled out of the way and sprinted toward the captain, Carmine charged his right fist and drove it into the captains gut, the captain hunched over but only laughed and kicked Carmine across the deck.

Carmine rolled to a stop and pushed himself up slowly as the captain walked toward him "What… What is your name?" Carmine asked as he stood up "Moss." The captain said in a low tone, Moss spun his Gatling gun up again and shot out more 40mm grenades, they exploded around him. Carmine grabbed his sword and slashed at Moss's neck but he leaned out of the way, throwing an elbow at Carmine who blocked it with his forearm. As Carmine fought in hand to hand combat his earpiece kicked in "Carmine, the lower deck in clear, we're moving to aid Celadon." Regalia said through the comm set, Moss drove his knee into Carmine's gut.

Carmine stumbled backward clenching his gut, Moss ran forward and grabbed his IBA, throwing him across the deck. Carmine rolled to a stop and pulled himself up, charging a supernova in both of his fists. As Moss got closer Carmine shot up off the ground and struck Moss in the jaw with an uppercut with his left fist, as Moss was airborne Carmine jumped up and punched him back down to the ground with his other fist.

Moss impacted the deck with a thud, as he started to move Carmine drove a supernova charged foot down into his gut, the explosion bent the metal underneath him "Stay down!" Carmine hissed but Moss picked himself back up, Carmine charged his hand and grabbed his throat, lifting him up and carrying him to the side of the ship, holding him over the water "Goodbye mother fucker." Carmine said, detonating his hand and dropping Moss's now headless body into the water. Carmine sat down on the deck and detached his gasmask, exhaling a cloud of steam, he looked out into the now quiet sea and observed Menagerie from a distance.

The silence was broken by his comms system kicking in "Carmine, the tower and lower deck is clear, we're coming out to the deck." Celadon said, five minutes later the rest of his team joined him on the front deck, Regalia sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder "Oh that was so intense." She said exhaling, Laurel laid down on the ground and sprawled out "Ahhhh, why did it have to be a destroyer!" Laurel exclaimed, Celadon leaned against the railing and looked down into the water "Uhhh Carmine, who's that?" Celadon asked, Carmine cleared his throat "That would be Captain Moss of The White Fang." He explained as he rubbed Regalia's head, Laurel looked over to the two sitting next to each other "Oh Regalia, don't catch feelings now." He said laughing, Regalia chuckled "Nah, I want some of Yang." She said, the other three guys looked at her with wide eyes "Uh what did you say?" Celadon asked, Regalia looked up at him "I want a piece of Yang." She said with a straight face, Laurel and Celadon nodded taking it all in.

"Well Laurel, Celadon, do you have any love interests?" Carmine asked as he adjusted his IBA, Laurel thought for a moment "Uh, well I'm a player so I don't want to be pinned down but if I had to choose, I'd say Coco or Velvet. Coco's has those curves but Velvet is so sweet and cute." Laurel said, Celadon sighed "I'd say Ruby for me. I would also say Nora but she has the hots for Ren, and she could break my legs." Celadon said with a shudder, Carmine sucked in air through his teeth "Yang is so protective of Ruby so be careful." Carmine explained as he stood up, he helped Regalia to her feet "Alright, let's get this into harbor." Carmine led them into the tower where Laurel and Celadon moved the bodies outside and tossed them overboard.

Carmine fired up the engine and pushed the throttle forward, the hulking behemoth lurched forward through the water. He pulled a cord sounding the fog horn on the front of the ship, as the ship got closer to harbor Carmine turned the wheel causing it to go sideways. He cut the engine off and let it drift into port where they dropped anchor, lowering the ramp onto the dock "Laurel, I want you to cover up the white fang symbol and replace it with this symbol." Carmine said handing him his dogtags, Laurel nodded and ran back onto the ship. Carmine turned around and was faced with a crowd of people, a small woman stepped forward "I…Is it over? Are the bad people gone?" She asked, her voice shaking with fear.

Carmine knelt down "Yes they're all gone, we commandeered the ship and will be taking it with us." He said with a smile, a voice spoke up from the crowd "Who was responsible?" Carmine stood up and placed a hand on the back of his head "Well, it was the White Fang who were operating the ship. Apparently there was an insurrection in the White Fang ranks and this was a splinter cell, Adam Taurus's faction." Carmine explained cracking his knuckles.

The crowd gasped in the sudden horror, a man stepped forward "Sir, I just want to say thank you for saving us and that those people don't represent the Faunus as a whole." The man said with sorrow in his voice, Carmine shook his head "I completely understand, just like not all humans are racists and bigots. We all have our bad apples so it is our duty to make a better name for ourselves and not let the actions of a few people tarnish the name of our people." Carmine said, giving a mini-speech, the crowd cheered and clapped as he walked through the crowd. Carmine walked up a dirt path to Ghira's house where they were waiting for him to return.

"You're okay!" Blake said happily as she ran off of the porch and hugged Carmine, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Listen, I need to ask you something. Do you know a White Fang captain by the name of Moss?" Carmine asked, Blake let go of him and stepped back "Yeah, he's Adam's right-hand man. He does all of his dirty work, he has taken many lives and stolen a lot of trains. Why do you ask?" She asked tilting her head, Carmine sighed "That was who was on the ship, Captain Moss. He said Adam sent him to kill me but I have a feeling he was sent to kill you and your family as well since when I asked his intentions with the ship, he ordered the crew to shell the island." He said.

Ghira and Kali were shocked by what they just heard "What! How dare he do this!" Ghira shouted, clenching his fists in anger. Sun walked over to Carmine "So that would mean all the things the White Fang has done were not Sienna Khan's fault but solely Adam Taurus's fault." Sun said, Carmine nodded "It appears Adam has a splinter cell faction of the White Fang, they are going behind Sienna's back and doing all this." The rifleman said shaking his head, he chuckled lightly "On the plus side, I have a new trophy for my collection. It's still on the ship because it's heavy as fuck. It's a 40mm Gatling gun grenade launcher, I've never seen anything like it." Carmine said, describing his new trophy.

Celadon and Regalia came up the hill behind them "Hey guys, how did it go for you?" Sun asked as the sniper and the medic reached the house "Oh you know, another day another life taken." Celadon said with a sigh, he pulled something from his pocket "Carmine, here are your tags back." Celadon said handing Carmine back his dogtags, he slipped them back around his neck and let them fall down onto his chest. Blake reached up and felt the snake on the front of the tag, running her thumb across the cold steel. She flipped it over and read the back of it "General Carmine Sable, Wolf Pack. No Retreat, No Surrender." She read it out loud then looked up at Carmine "So that is Wolf Pack's motto?" She asked curiously, he nodded "Yeah, it was a saying Onyx and I came up with, we all had it tattooed on our backs just like we all had the Beowolf with the sword through its head on our arms." Carmine explained as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the Wolf Pack tattoo.

Carmine's stomach roared with hunger, Kali laughed "Somebody's hungry, come on inside and I make something for you all." She said as she opened the door, as they were walking inside Carmine stopped "Wait, where's Laurel?" He asked Celadon who gestured back to the harbor "He's securing everything and will be here ASAP." Celadon said, putting Carmine's mind at ease.

Twenty minutes later there was a knock at the door, Carmine answered the door and let Laurel through "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. There was a lot of White Fang stuff onboard, I also reloaded all the main guns and also performed a sweep and clear through the whole ship. Some of the men from town helped me get rid of the "Garbage" as well" Laurel said, Carmine nodded "Thank you, Laurel. You have been a great help and I thank you for all you've done as a teammate." Carmine said, Laurel bowed his head in appreciation. They walked into the dining room and joined the others around the table, Carmine sat down next to Blake while Laurel sat down between him and Celadon.

Kali walked over and sat down large bowls of noodles with steak and chicken in them in front of Team CRCL "Eat up, I'm sure you all are starving." She said with a smile, Carmine picked up a pair of chopsticks and dug into his food. After devouring their food, Carmine sighed in relief and laid back on the floor "How was everything?" Kali asked as she sipped her tea, Carmine shot his hand up and gave a thumbs up "It was so good!" Carmine exclaimed, his team laughed at his gesture.

Ghira spoke up "So Carmine, what will you do now? Now that you have a destroyer in your arsenal." Ghira asked the rifleman who sat up and sighed "Oh well, I was gonna sail it back to Atlas to get it put under my command officially, then I'll try to find the others from Beacon. I still have to hunt down Cinder's team, Adam and the White Fang." Carmine said, Ghira nodded "Well you have my complete support, anything you need just ask." Ghira said placing his fist on his chest, Carmine copied his gesture "Thank you, and consider Menagerie under my protection." Carmine said, his team placed their fists on their chests as well.

"Well, we are all grateful for all you've done for us." Kali said thanking team CRCL, they bowed their head in appreciation. Sun spoke up "So are we not gonna talk about how the White Fang found us?" He asked, breaking the silence. "I figured it was those fuck sticks from the other day, the robe wearing guys who brought that bear guy to fight me, also I figure that ship was in the area already when those two guys radioed it in that I was here." Carmine said, counting on his fingers.

"Wait, in the area?" Sun said spitting out his tea, Carmine nodded "Yep, when you and Blake arrived here they sent word to nearby bases until they reached the ship." Carmine explained, Ghira slammed his fist down on the table "How dare they! Those men will pay for this!" He shouted, Carmine raised his hand "Trust me Ghira, they will pay for this!" Carmine said with anger in his voice. Carmine calmed down a bit "But not now, I'm pretty sure they went into hiding." He explained calmly, Ghira nodded "Well, I'll have my guards keep a look out for them and if they are spotted, I'll have them arrested." He said, Carmine shook his head in agreement.

He stood up from the table, taking his bowl to the kitchen to wash but Kali stopped him "Nonsense Carmine, you're our guest, please allow me." She said taking the bowl from him, he shrugged and walked back to his team "Alright, I think we should do final checks on the ship then we'll depart." He said, his team nodded in agreement and stood up from the table. They made their way to the door but Carmine stopped, he turned around "Hey Blake, you wanna come with us?" He asked his girlfriend who shot up from the ground and ran out the door.

Carmine chuckled, looking back at the yellow-haired man still at the table "Sun! What are you doing? All hands on deck." Carmine exclaimed with a grin, Sun lit up and ran out of the house. Ghira shot Carmine a look of thanks, Carmine laughed before heading down the road to his ship. When he reached the dock he admired the ship anchored in the harbor, the black King Taijitu painted on the side "Man, Laurel did a hell of a job on the emblem." Carmine said to himself as he boarded the ship, the deck was nearly spotless save for a few dents and scuff marks.

Carmine walked into the main command center and ordered everyone to attention "ALL HANDS ON DECK!" Carmine yelled, Celadon, Regalia, Laurel, Blake, and Sun lined up in front of him. Carmine walked slowly in front of them with his hands behind his back "Today, we will be assigning positions, Celadon: Radar, Laurel: Main Weapons/Secondary Weapons, Regalia: Navigation, Sun: Communications, and Blake: Captain's Assistant." Carmine explained, Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia shot him a salute and manned their positions.

Sun took a seat at a wall of radios and dials, Blake sat down in a chair by the Captain's area. "Alright, let's collect our stuff, say our goodbyes, then we'll head out." Carmine stated, everyone followed him out of the ship and back to Ghira's house. They entered the house where Blake and Carmine said their goodbyes to Ghira and Kali "Ghira, thank you so much for the hospitality." Carmine said in a formal manner, Ghira pulled him into a bear hug "Nonsense! You're practically my son-in-law and you're welcome back anytime!" Ghira exclaimed happily, he dropped the rifleman who took in a deep breath, Kali giggled "He can get overly excited, thank you for taking care of our daughter. She has only said great things about you and you've surpassed them by ten miles." She said praising the rifleman, he bowed his head in thanks.

Laurel called from the door "Alright, I got all of our stuff and we're ready to go when you are." He said tossing Carmine his rifle, he grabbed it midair and placed it on his back, securing the rest of his gear. He looked over to Blake "You ready?" He asked her softly, she nodded and hugged her parents "I love you guys, don't worry about me. As long as I'm with him I'll be safe." She said, Ghira chuckled "I don't doubt it, he is a very capable warrior!" The large man exclaimed, Blake looked over to Carmine who was slipping on his gas mask "Ready." She said, Carmine nodded and escorted her out of the house, Ghira and Kali saw them off as they went down the road toward the harbor.

"Man, your parents love me." Carmine said as he walked hand in hand with Blake, she smiled "That's an understatement." She said with a chuckle, Carmine shrugged his shoulders as they reached the ship. He picked Blake up and carried her onto the ship, she wrapped her arm around his neck "My knight in black armor!" She exclaimed as she hugged him, he walked onto the deck and put her down "Everyone to your positions, prepare to disembark." Carmine ordered, Celadon, Laurel, Regalia, and Sun made their way to the command tower.

Carmine raised the platform that rested on the dock, pulling it onto the deck and making his way to the tower, he entered the room and took the wheel. Blake sat next to him as he flipped switches and twisted dials, he pressed a red button which caused the ship to rumble and roar to life. Carmine pressed a glowing green button which caused a loud fog horn to sound off, echoing through the pier and island.

After raising the anchor, the large battleship pulled from the harbor and moved into the sea, he sounded the horn again to announce his presence to smaller ships, as the ship hit open water Carmine addressed his crew "Alright guys, we're in open waters so Celadon keep an eye on the radar and let me know if we have company. Regalia, plot a course for Atlas and Sun, scan for nearby radios and ask if anyone has heard from a Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, or Jaune Arc." Carmine said, Sun nodded and started messing with the radio, the sound of static echoed through the room, Regalia input coordinates into the ships GPS and set the route for "Captain" Carmine.

As the ship cut through the water, sea fog seemed to roll in and swallow up the ship. "Sir, there seems to be a dense fog in the area." Celadon announced, Carmine nodded and pulled back on the throttle, the ship slowed to what seemed like a crawl. After sailing for hours, the ship broke from the fog and started to pass an island, a black flag flew from the pole in the middle of the island. The flag had a familiar red beowolf head on it, Carmine watched as they sailed past the island and looked around the area, he saw people gathering on the beach. Carmine pulled the throttle back and stopped the ship, he addressed his crew "Alright guys, there's a white fang Island and it looks like they want to go at it." Carmine said pointing to the beach, the soldiers were setting up heavy weaponry and munitions, Laurel accessed the main weapons and pointed them at the beach.

The giant four barrel cannon moved as it aimed at the beach, a twin Zuni missile pod system came to life and adjusted itself, pointing at the island. Sun spoke up "Hey Carmine, it seems they're trying to speak to the Captain." Sun said, handing the handset to Carmine who answered "This is the B.M.S Valor, we're just passing through so stand down," Carmine said, the person on the other end ordered them into the harbor or prepare to be sunk, Carmine laughed and spoke into the microphone "I warned you." Carmine said hanging up, he walked over to the intercom system and plugged his scroll in, selecting a song.

 **Ready To Die – Andrew W.K.**

The song started to play through the speakers outside, blaring toward the island as the main cannons fixed on their targets, bullets flew from the island and peppered the side of the ship. As the guitar and drums kicked in, Carmine signaled for Laurel to fire. The main cannons spit out fire as four artillery shells rocketed toward the beach, as they hit they ripped through the soldiers on the beach, sending sand and fire exploding outward.

As the smoke cleared, bullets tore across the sky and impacted the side of the ship, a truck pulled up hauling an M777 Howitzer. "Well, there's one of the artillery systems, now where are the other five?" Carmine asked himself, taking a sip from a mug.

 **This is your time to pay, this is your judgment day, we made a sacrifice and now we get to take your life. We shoot without a gun, we'll take on anyone, it's really nothing new, it's just what we like to do.**

As they lowered the howitzer, Carmine noticed that it was missing its anchors, Laurel looked over to Carmine "Sir, what should we do?" He asked nervously, Carmine held up a finger "Just wait, this is gonna be hilarious." He said crossing his arms.

As they lowered the barrel of the howitzer, it started to tip forward and dug into the sand and flipped the truck over. Carmine busted out laughing "What idiots!" Carmine said laughing, he pulled himself together and wiped a tear from his eye "Ah ha ha, fire." He said, patting Laurel on the shoulder, Laurel adjusted a lever and pressed a red button. The cannons on the front shot out four shells and peppered the beach, one of the shells obliterated the howitzer and reduced it to a hunk of smoking metal. The other three ripped the foot soldiers apart, sending them flying in every direction, their lifeless bodies bounced and skidded across the ground.

With the checkpoint cleared, Carmine restarted the engine and chugged the hulking behemoth of a ship forward through the water "Alright, next stop Atlas." Carmine said, sounding the fog horn. As they sailed past islands, the radio in the back chattered to life "Sun, isolate that signal." Carmine ordered, Sun nodded and started adjusting knobs, a scrambled voice came through "… Need help… Dead… slaughter…please help…town of Armani… please hurry." A female voice came through, Carmine pulled back the throttle "Regalia, where is Armani?" He asked, walking up to the purple haired medic, she pointed to the screen "About three miles west." She said, he patted her on the shoulder and ran back to the wheel, turning the massive ship.

"Change of plans, next stop: Armani, everyone go get ready." He ordered, his crew nodded and made their way to the ships Armory, Carmine pushed the throttle as far as it would go. The ship plowed through the waves and sped toward the small island in the distance. After thirty minutes of sailing, Carmine slowed the ship down and docked in the harbor, his crew stood ready behind him "Ready when you are." Celadon said, tossing Carmine his rifle, he caught it and pulled back the bolt, chambering a round. "Before we go, everyone place your hand on this scanner and say your full name into this computer." Carmine said, pulling his glove off and placing his hand on the scanner "Carmine Sable." He said, his team following suit one after the other "Blake Belladonna. Sun Wukong. Celadon Bisque. Regalia Aureolin. Laurel Vermilion" The computer beeped and confirmed their biometrics.

"So what was that about?" He asked curiously, Carmine chuckled "The ships auto defenses run off of Biometrics and voice identification." Carmine said as a minigun descended from the roof, Carmine led his team off the ship and onto the island, he pulled on his gas mask and tested the purge setting, pulling his hood over his head. As they moved deeper into the island, they noticed smoke rising from a town which caused them to pick up speed, sprinting toward the town. As they got closer, Carmine signaled them to stop as he heard someone yelling, they peaked around the corner and saw a man in a hooded robe with his arms outward yelling while holding a shotgun "I AM THE HAND OF GOD, I AM HERE TO PURGE THE UNCLEAN, THE UNWORTHY! COME AND KNEEL BEFORE ME TO BE JUDGED BY THE LORD, GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS SON AND IT IS I!" The man yelled, bodies laid around him

"Oh god, a religious zealot. Do we even have religions?" Carmine asked, everyone shrugged as they readied their guns but Carmine stopped them "I think I can end this peacefully." Carmine said placing his rifle on his back and walked toward the crazed man "AND WHOSOEVER SHED MAN'S BLOOD, BY MAN SHALL HIS BLOOD BE SHED, FOR IN THE IMAGE OF GOD MADE HE MAN." Carmine yelled with his hands out, the man turned and raised his gun.

"YOU DARE SPEAK TO A PROPHET OF THE LORD?! KNEEL AND BE JUDGED, LIKE THE REST!" The man yelled, pointing to the countless bodies scattered across the town square, Carmine looked back at the man "WHAT CAN YOU SAY TO A MAN WHO TELLS YOU HE PREFERS OBEYING GOD RATHER THAN MEN, AND THAT AS A RESULT HE'S CERTAIN HE'LL GO TO THE AFTERLIFE IF HE CUTS YOUR THROAT." He shouted back.

The man stepped back a bit "THROUGH THE LIGHT OF GOD, YOU SHALL BE SAVED BY THE SPILLING OF YOUR BLOOD. TIS THE WILL OF THE LORD THAT MORTAL MAN BE PURGED FROM THIS WORLD, I AM AN AGENT OF THE LORD AND I WILL COMPLETE HIS HOLY TASK WITHOUT QUESTION!" The man yelled, Carmine chuckled and pulled out his 500 magnum.

He began to speak as he checked the ammo in his revolver "THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN IS BESET ON ALL SIDES BY THE INIQUITIES OF THE SELFISH AND THE TYRANNY OF THE EVIL MEN. BLESSED IS HE WHO, IN THE NAME OF CHARITY AND GOODWILL, SHEPHERDS THE WEAK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF DARKNESS, FOR HE IS TRULY HIS BROTHER'S KEEPER, AND THE FINDER OF LOST CHILDREN." Carmine yelled as he closed the reel on the revolver, his team was repeating what he was saying word for word, Sun and Blake looked shocked that they knew what he was saying.

"AND I WILL STRIKE DOWN UPON THEE WITH GREAT VENGEANCE AND FURIOUS ANGER THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO POISON AND DESTROY MY BROTHERS. AND YOU WILL KNOW MY NAME IS THE LORD WHEN I LAY VENGEANCE UPON THEE!" Carmine yelled, he pulled the trigger when he was finished speaking. The rounds ripped through the man's body and dropped him like a sack of rocks, the man's blood splattered on the ground as his body hit the ground.

His team ran up and came to a stop near Carmine "I thought you were gonna try and end it peacefully?" Celadon asked, Carmine holstered his revolver and turned around "Negotiations broke down." He said as he walked into town, looking around the square. A woman ran out of a building and wrapped her arms around Carmine "Oh thank you so much, that man was gonna kill everyone." She said pointing back at the building she came from, thirty people walked out in stunned silence with looks of horror plastered on their face. Carmine looked back at the woman "If I were you, I'd invest in weapons." He said as he collected his team, Blake handed him the man's shotgun "Figure you'd want to add this to your collection." She said with a half grin.

Carmine took it from her hands and put it into his pack "I'll put it in my crate when we get back, thanks honey." He said, pulling his mask off and kissing her. She traced the scar on his cheek with her hand, he placed his hand on hers and moved his forehead onto hers smiling "I'm sorry you have to see this horror." He said as he held her close, she pulled away from him "It's a part of war, right? Besides, as long as I'm with you I couldn't be happier." She said as she wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his armored chest.

As they began to head back to the ship, the woman stopped them "Wait, who are you? You don't look like Atlas." She asked, Carmine turned around "We're Wolf Pack and we'll destroy any evil that raises a hand to hurt the innocent." Carmine said as he led his crew back to the ship, as they entered the tower Carmine started flipping switches and pushed a lever forward, causing the ship to lurch forward as it left the harbor.

Carmine sat back in the captain's chair and sighed "Hopefully no more distractions and it's smooth sailing from here." Carmine said as he closed his eyes. Two hours later, Carmine was shaken awake by Blake who pointed out the window, Carmine stood up and grabbed a pair of binoculars. He peered at the object in the distance, it was an airship being chased by these strange flying Grimm. "Laurel, prepare the Flak cannon, we got some bugs to exterminate." Carmine said as he sat down the binoculars.

Two large cannons came to life on the front deck, raising into the sky and targeting the Lancer Grimm. As soon as the ship was in range, it opened fire at the flying Grimm, the flak rounds exploded in the sky around the Lancers. Some of the wasp-like Grimm fell from the sky, slowly dissipating away as the others closed in on the merchant ship, the flak exploded in the sky around the Grimm and blew them out of the sky. The radio crackled to life "Thank You, whoever you are. If you hadn't come along we would have been goners." A voice said through the radio, Carmine grabbed the handset from Sun "This is Captain Sable of the B.M.S. Valor, we're on our way to Atlas; is the way clear?" Carmine asked, there was a short silence.

"Atlas? Yeah I just left there but if I were you I wouldn't hang around for too long, the dust company is in disarray, I was even paid to escort one of them out of…" The pilot was cut off by an explosion at the rear of the ship, a giant Lancer emerged from the cloud of smoke behind the airship and dissipated. The pilot screamed into the radio "Mayday Mayday! We're going down! We're going d…" The radio cut to static as it crashed into the treeline of the mainland, the flak cannons fell motionless again.

"What just happened?" Carmine asked with a shocked look on his face, Celadon raised his hand "Yeah, as you were talking the Lancer queen came from some rocks and attempted to attack the ship, but something exploded from the rear and killed it, the explosion sent the ship plummeting." Celadon explained, Carmine nodded and steered the ship toward the shore "Let's go see if there are any survivors." Carmine said as he dropped the anchor.

As they were leaving the ship, Carmine turned to Sun and Celadon "I need you two to stay with the ship, there's a manual on the captain's chair about how to operate everything." Celadon and Sun nodded and made their way to the ship. Carmine, Blake, Regalia, and Laurel pushed into the forest, taking out the occasional Grimm along the way. They came upon the mangled wreckage of the merchant airship, the transport ship was engulfed in fire.

Carmine charged up his left hand and placed it on the side door, detonating and blowing the door off of the ship. Carmine moved inside the ship and pulled the pilot out of the cockpit, he placed him on the ground and pulled his helmet off, Carmine placed his ear to the pilot's chest and listened for a heartbeat but there was none.

Carmine started to perform CPR on the pilot, he placed his hands on the pilot's chest and pushed down trying to restart his heart "Come on, dammit! Don't. You. Die. On. Me!" Carmine shouted as he compressed the man's chest, Laurel pulled Carmine back "Dude! Dude, he's gone." Laurel said, Carmine broke free and moved back to the pilot's body "I'm not giving up yet!" Carmine yelled as he restarted the chest compressions, he slammed his fist down on the pilot's chest in anger and dropped his head, Blake knelt down next to him "I'm sorry, Carmine. We can give him a nice burial." She said as she rubbed Carmine's back.

They buried the pilot on a hill by a tree with a view of the ocean, Carmine knelt down by the makeshift headstone "Rest easy, friend." Carmine said solemnly, he stood up and moved back to the wreckage with the others. As he examined the wreckage, ten bandits ran out of the woods and surrounded the group, a bandit with long black hair grabbed Carmine by the shoulder "Hey fucker!" The bandit yelled, Carmine grabbed his wrist and pulled the bandit toward him, slamming his head into the metal ship and breaking his humerus.

The bandit cried out in agony, grabbing his arm in pain and running back to the group. Laurel drew his machetes and plunged the blades into two of the bandits, twisting the blades and making their bodies turn into blood sprinklers. Blood hit a female bandit in the face, she screamed in terror and ran away, Regalia chased after her into a clearing as Blake fought off three of them.

Two gunshots rang out from the clearing, Regalia escorted the female bandit back to the group and tied her up as Carmine fought the other bandits, Carmine planted his boot into one of their throats causing the bandit to collapse on the ground and suffocate. Laurel and Carmine pointed their guns at the rest, they dropped their guns and raised their hands into the air, Laurel zip tied each of their hands together and tied them up in a line.

Carmine walked up to the bandit with the broken arm and placed his knife up to his throat "Where's your camp at?" Carmine asked, the bandit spat on the ground "Fuck you, pig." The bandit growled, Carmine chuckled and slit his throat. He cut the zip tie and moved the body into the burning craft, he walked back and wiped the bloody knife on the next bandit's shirt "So, where is your camp?" Carmine asked, placing the blade against another bandit's throat "Go straight until you reach a clearing then take the path on the left." The bandit said fearfully, Carmine sheathed his knife "Good, get walking." Carmine ordered.

The captive convoy eventually reached said clearing and came upon a yellow motorcycle, Blake ran over to it "This is Yang's bike, but why is she out here?" Blake asked, looking around the forest. One of the bandits spoke up "She's probably at the camp, if anything." A bandit said, Carmine led the group into the forest again, they came upon a large wooden wall with spikes on top. The bandits opened the door and guided their hostage-takers inside the camp, some of the bandits in the camp raised their guns at Carmine, Laurel, Regalia, and Blake as they walked in.

A female voice could be heard yelling as they got closer "I didn't want a fight. They started it." The voice yelled, Carmine walked up and dropped the hostages to their knees "And I finished it, unless anyone else wants a piece of me." Carmine yelled with his arms outstretched, a yellow-haired woman turned around and stared at the rifleman "Carmine? Is that you?" The woman asked, Carmine pulled his gas mask off "Hey there, blonde fury!" Carmine said with a wink, Blake slapped him on the arm and she ran to Yang, wrapping her arms around her "I missed you so much!" She said, hugging Yang tightly. Carmine walked forward and replaced his gas mask "Now, I have a question; where is the passenger of the ship that went down?" Carmine asked with rage in his voice, a black haired woman is red scoffed at his question.

"And who are you, worm?" The woman in red asked, Carmine crossed his arms "Carmine Sable, leader of Wolf Pack and Captain of the B.M.S. Valor, who are you?" Carmine asked, staring her down. Yang let go of Blake and walked toward Carmine "That's Raven Branwen, my mother." Yang said, drapping her arm around Carmine's neck, Carmine chuckled "I now see where you get your hair from." The rifleman said, Raven interrupted him "Sorry to break up the reunion but I have no idea what you're talking about, what passenger?" Raven said, shifting her weight to her left leg. Carmine sighed and pressed his throat "Celadon, load four 105mm White Phosphorus and zero in on my location, wait for my signal." Carmine said into his radio.

He stepped forward and turned his attention back to Raven "As we speak, my Arleigh Burke class destroyer is zeroing in on my location with white phosphorus, if you don't know what White Phosphorus is then let's just say it will burn the skin from your body." Carmine explained as he looked around the crowd "So where is the passen…" He stopped abruptly when his vision rested on a short-haired woman who was holding a rapier, he stared at the woman "Where did you get that weapon?" Carmine asked as he held the grip of his MP7, the woman smirked at him "Oh you like it, does it accent my eyes?" She asked sarcastically, Carmine growled "Where. Did. You. Get. It!?" Carmine asked angrily, a bandit walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder "Watch your tongue, dog." He yelled, but Yang grabbed his other arm and threw him across the camp.

The bandit impacted and destroyed a large tent, the cloth fell and revealed a cage with a woman in white inside, she shielded herself from the dust and looked around. Carmine looked at the cage and his eyes focused on the person inside "Weiss!?" He asked as he removed his gas mask, she was holding a glowing figure which dissipated as Carmine ran over to the cage. He placed his hand on the lock and blew the lock off the door. He used his knife to cut her binds off, the rope fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around the rifleman "I missed you so much!" She said, kissing him on the lips, Blake walked over to Carmine and Weiss, pulling Weiss to her and kissing her deeply. Laurel clapped his hands "Oh shit, Carmine! You've got to be the luckiest dude in all of Remnant." Laurel said cheering.

Carmine wrapped his arms around the two girls and pulled them into his chest "This is nice, I missed both of you." He said as he held them, they rested their head on each side of his chest. Blake and Weiss let go of Carmine as he started to walk forward, he turned around and spoke to them "We'll all catch up in a bit, but first I got some work to do." He said winking and reattaching his gas mask, returning his attention to Raven and the short haired girl.

"So, you mind telling me why she was in a cage?" Carmine asked as he crossed his arms again, Weiss spoke up "They kidnapped me, saying they were going to ransom me back to my dad." She said as Blake held her close, Carmine cracked his knuckles "You kidnapped her? And were gonna send her back to that douchenozzle? Now you're on my bad side." Carmine growled as he charged a supernova in his fists, a large bandit dressed in all black stepped forward. Carmine cheered "Yes, a challenge!" The black bandit gritted his teeth and withdrew a large ax, charging at Carmine who sidestepped the bandit, planting a roundhouse into his back.

The bandit fell to the ground, pushing himself up immediately and hitting the ground in anger. Carmine released the energy from his fists back into his body as the bandit charged him again, swinging the ax down at the ground and digging into the dirt, Carmine charged his right fist again and struck the large man in the jaw with an uppercut, the supernova detonated and blew him across the camp. The man stood up and planted his feet an equal distance apart, he placed his fists at his hips with his knuckles pointed outward, the man became covered in a yellow aura as he charged his semblance.

The clouds darkened and thunder began to rumble as the man raised his hand's into the air, rain started to fall from the sky and wind started to blow strong. The trees rustled and swayed as the wind blew across the camp, the air became statically charged as a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of Carmine. Carmine stumbled backward as another bolt hit the ground, he charged his fists together and ran at the man controlling the weather. As he got closer, he drew his fist back and planted it into his chest, causing the man to collapse on the ground and the weather to dissipate, the sun shone through the clouds once again.

The yellow aura flashed across the man's body that lay on the ground, Carmine helped him to his feet and guided him to a chair "Take it easy, you fought hard. You have my respect." Carmine said as the man sat down, he shook Carmine's hand with a newfound respect "The name's Verde, Verde Amarillo." Verde said as he shook Carmine's hand "Carmine Sable." Carmine replied, he patted Verde on the shoulder and rejoined his team and his lovers, he wrapped his arms around their waists and pulled them into his embrace.

Yang returned her attention to Raven "So, if you could stop wasting our time that would be great. Look, Ruby is with Qrow and they're at Haven Academy, I know your semblance lets you make portals for those you have a strong bond with. You got one for me, one for dad, and one for Qrow, so I want you to make a portal for us to get to them." Yang said, Raven looked disgusted "Typical, family only coming around when they need something." She said, Carmine cleared his throat as he held Blake and Weiss "If I may, what's stopping you from making a portal to Qrow? I mean, it's your semblance so it shouldn't be a problem." Carmine said, Raven rolled her eyes.

She looked at Yang "You don't want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know, I trusted him once, too." She said, Yang shook her head "I don't care what you think." Yang stated with anger. "Your choice is your own. All I'm suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for any of us, that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you're already where you belong." Raven said as she crossed her arms.

"Look lady, she's trying to find her sister and you're the fastest possible way to do that." Laurel said as he walked forward, Raven walked forward "It's none of your damn business, stay out of this." Raven shouted, Laurel shook his head in disbelief. Carmine sighed "If she won't help you then I'll take you there myself." Carmine said, Laurel and Regalia agreed behind him. Raven stepped forward "I'm warning you, don't get wrapped up with this, Yang! You have to trust me." Raven pleaded, Yang scoffed "Yeah, cause you were there for me my whole life. I trust Ozpin and Qrow more than I trust you, Raven." Yang said with Venom on her tongue.

Yang turned around and walked back to Carmine "Let's go, Carmine." Yang said as she headed for the camp exit, Carmine followed her with Blake and Weiss on either side of him. Regalia couldn't help but stare at Yang as she walked away, Laurel shook her slightly "Like what you see?" He asked, she snapped out of it "What? Yeah, uh… I was thinking." Regalia said, making up an excuse. Laurel laughed "Thinking about that ass." Laurel said as he followed Carmine out, Regalia followed behind him.

They made their way back to the beach where the B.M.S. Valor was docked, the bridge lowered down and rested in the sand. Carmine led his two ladies onboard with Yang, Laurel, and Regalia following him onto the deck, the bridge rose back up behind them. Carmine held up two fingers and waved it around, the ship rumbled to life as it started up, the anchor rose from the water and was pulled toward the sky, water and seaweed fell from the anchor and hit the water. The ship pulled away from the beach as the group entered the tower. Carmine sat down in the captain's chair with Blake on his left and Weiss to his right, Regalia sat down at the Navigation terminal and typed in the location of Haven, the location popped up on the holographic map.

Carmine pushed the throttle forward, propelling the ship forward through the water and out into the ocean, Yang sat down in a chair in the front of the tower and looked out over the ocean as the ship sailed past several small islands. She turned toward Carmine and broke the silence "So Carmine, you're dating two girls at once?" She asked in disbelief, Carmine shrugged as he removed his gas mask and clipped it onto his belt. He leaned over and kissed Blake, then kissed Weiss leaving both girls smiling and giddy "Answer your question?" Carmine asked as he sat back with a shit-eating grin.

Yang chuckled "Carmine Sable: The Soldier, The Student, and The Sex Magnet." She said, Blake giggled "Another title for a man of many titles." She said as she leaned against his arm, Weiss shot up out of her seat and looked around freaking out, Carmine tried to calm her down "Calm down, Snow bunny. Where's the fire?" He asked, concerned. She looked at him "My sword, that bandit still has it." She said, becoming slightly agitated. Laurel coughed and got her attention, handing her the rapier "Oh thank goodness, how did you get this?" She asked Laurel who shrugged, he motioned to Carmine "Verde handed it to me as we left the camp." Laurel said as he sat down at his terminal.

Carmine got Yang's attention "So what have you been up to since, the incident?" Carmine asked, Yang stood up and revealed her new metal arm "It even has a gun inside, it took some getting used to but it feels like I never lost an arm. With this arm, I only have to have one gauntlet." Yang said, extending her gauntlet and the barrel in her robo wrist.

Sun walked over and inspected her arm "It's so cool!" He said tapping on it, Yang flicked him on the nose. He grabbed his nose and walked back to the radio terminal, Carmine steered the ship to miss a rock that was in the way. Carmine spoke up "Laurel: Weapons check." Carmine ordered, Laurel hit some buttons and flipped a switch "Main Cannon: Check, Anti – Air: Check, Flak: Check, TLAMs: Check, Sea Mines: Check, Auto – Cannon: Check, Trophy System: Check. All systems nominal." Laurel said as he read the diagnostic report.

"Wait, this thing is loaded with Sea Mines!?" Sun asked surprised, Carmine nodded "Yep, they really come in handy if we're running from something." Carmine said as he adjusted the throttle, there was a sudden noise that filled the cabin. A red object suddenly appeared in the front of the cabin, Raven walked out with her sword drawn while wearing a Grimm mask, Laurel pointed his shotgun at her "Drop the weapon, now!" Laurel ordered her, she grabbed the shotgun and tossed it away, elbowing Laurel in the gut causing him to fall to the ground.

She walked forward and grabbed Yang by the arm, pulling her out of her chair and knocking her out, she sliced open another portal and dragged Yang through it, the portal closing behind her. Everyone was speechless, Carmine pulled back the throttle and stopped the ship "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!" Celadon asked wide eyed and surprised, Carmine stood up and cracked his knuckles "A declaration of war." Carmine said as he threw the ship in reverse.

 **(A/N: Thanks for reading, remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review. Since life is taxing, my uploads might be a lot less frequent. Stay tuned for Ch. 13, and as always This is Nightmare 6 – 4 signing off.)**


	13. Chapter 13: Stairway To Haven

Chapter 13: Stairway to Haven

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review. (It's Car-Mine like from Gears of War)**

Carmine tapped his foot as he stared out across the deck into the ocean, the ship sat still and unmoving as the crew still processed what had happened. "Why would she take her?" Celadon asked as he helped Laurel up off the ground, the breacher picked up his shotgun and inspected it as he sat down at the munitions computer.

Regalia spoke up "Raven kept saying something about not getting wrapped up with Qrow and Ozpin so I bet it has something to do with that." She said, Carmine sighed in disbelief "Do we ever catch a break?!" He asked resting his head in his hands, he stood up out of the chair and walked to the front of the cabin. He placed his hands behind his back as we scanned the horizon "Everyone load up, we're moving out in ten minutes. Make sure to bring zip-ties with you in case we take prisoners." Carmine said as he addressed his crew. Carmine signaled for everyone to follow as he walked to the door leading to the rest of the ship.

He walked down the hallway until he got to a door at the end of the hallway, he pushed the door open and revealed the storage compartment, filled to the wall with crates and containers. Carmine and his crew moved into the room, their eyes large in wonder and curiosity, Celadon pried open an unmarked crate "I wonder what's in here?" He said out loud as the lid hit the ground, he pulled a black cover out and revealed a dozen AK-74's, he pulled one out and examined it, pulling back the bolt. Carmine walked over and picked one up, checking the iron sights and the bolt "Onyx had one like this, except he had an ACOG and a Foregrip on his." Carmine said as he grabbed a banana clip and a box of 7.62mm.

Laurel pried open two other crates "These have weapons in them as well, it looks like they were ready for war." Laurel said, pulling out a Spas-12. Carmine clapped his hands together "Alright, everyone check the boxes and load up. Check for guns, munitions, and gear." He said as he loaded the clip into the AK, pulling back the bolt and chambering a round. Carmine walked over to Sun who was looking through some crates "Hey Sun, take this." He said, handing the Faunus the AK, he took the rifle and put the sling around his neck, moving his arm through the sling and letting the barrel point down. "Hey, thanks man!" Sun said, bumping fists with the rifleman.

Carmine turned around and noticed Weiss talking to Blake, he sauntered over and wrapped his arms around to the two ladies, pulling them close to him "And what are you two beautiful ladies talking about?" Carmine asked, Blake rested her head on his chest as Weiss started to speak "Well, we were just talking about what's been going on since the Fall of Beacon and how we both fell for you. We also started speculating what you're going to do once you storm Raven's camp." Weiss said, resting her head on the other side of his chest.

He thought for a moment "Well, I'm going to try to resolve this peacefully but I won't be afraid to engage in combat if the need arises." Carmine said, "But you got to remember that she is Yang's mom so don't kill her, please." Blake said, Weiss nodded in agreement.

Carmine was about to say something but he was interrupted by a voice calling from the back of the room "Guys! You need to see this!" Sun yelled, Carmine, Weiss, and Blake ran over to investigate the commotion, Laurel, Regalia, and Celadon were already there. Celadon stared with his mouth open in shock, Carmine closed it with his hand "Celadon, close your mouth, you look silly." Carmine said, Celadon snapped out of it "What? Oh shit sorry." Celadon said shaking his head, "Alright, what did you fin…" Carmine started to say but stopped as he stared at what Sun found. "What is it?" Weiss asked her silent boyfriend, he snapped out of it "Uhhh…. This is an MAU or Mobile Artillery Unit, this one in particular is called the M109 Howitzer or the Tempered Iron Mountain. Able to rain 105 mm shells down on targets nearly four miles away." Carmine said as he inspected the tank.

"Wait, why is this on a destroyer? I thought carriers were the only ones with storage areas?" Celadon asked, Carmine turned around and leaned against the Iron Mountain "And you'd be right to think that except this is an experimental vessel so they looking to incorporate the aspects of a carrier into the body of a battleship, not a destroyer. It sometimes gets mislabeled as a destroyer but this is a Battleship." Carmine said as he crossed his arms, Sun got his attention again "I also found this." Sun said as he pulled a tarp down, revealing an APC. "Good Fuck! That's an M1126 Stryker ICV, the sheer firepower inside of that thing is insane. That might be just what we need to raid the compound." Carmine said as he climbed up on top of the Stryker and inspected the main gun. He looked over at Sun and Laurel "I need you guys to prep these tanks for combat." Carmine said, Laurel and Sun nodded as they got to work on the tanks.

Carmine hopped off the Stryker and landed on the ground, walking back to Blake and Weiss who were standing next to the wall "Hey there ladies, you got any questions about our little retrieval mission?" Carmine asked, Weiss stepped forward "So we get into the compound, get Yang, then what?" She asked, Carmine thought for a moment "Incapacitate Raven and full speed to Haven, unless Raven wants to portal us to Haven. Maybe she can portal the ship into Haven as well, or else I'll have to sail it over there." Carmine explained as he adjusted his IBA.

Celadon called Carmine over to a large box "Carmine! You're going to want to see this!" Celadon shouted, Carmine looked at his two ladies "Ladies, hold that thought." Carmine said as he backed up toward Celadon, he shot a wink at them before turning around and jogging over to Celadon "Hey what's up?" He asked as he arrived at the crate, Celadon lifted a large four-barrel box out of the crate "I found this, you know what it is?" Celadon asked as he handed it to Carmine. He pressed the button on the side and deployed a handle from the bottom along with pulling the front flap down. "This is an M202A1 Flash also known as The Reaper. It fires up to four incendiary rockets per cartridge. This is a devastating piece of military hardware." Carmine said as he placed it on a nearby table along with three satchels of rockets.

"You find anything else?" Carmine asked as he turned back toward Celadon "Yeah I found a crate of FAL's, a crate of M4's, two crates of UMP-45's, crate of M60's, a crate of Kel-Tec KSG's, a crate of RPD's, a crate of RPG-7's and a crate of Interdynamic MP-9's." Celadon explained, Carmine nodded as he observed the weaponry in the crates in front of him. Carmine picked up an RPG-7 and loaded a rocket into it, twisting it into place and placing it on his back.

He turned back to Celadon "Load all of the RPGs and place them on the table along with a satchel of rockets for each one." Carmine explained, Celadon nodded and went to work. Carmine made his way to the middle of the room and got everyone's attention "Alright guys! Pick your weapons and gear, we leave in fifteen minutes!" Carmine ordered, everyone nodded in agreement. In a matter of seven minutes everyone was lined up in front of him with Blake and Weiss standing at his side, Carmine cleared his throat "Here's the plan: We hit them hard and we hit them fast, a two-front attack which will catch them off guard. Laurel and Sun will take the Iron Mountain while the rest of us take the Stryker, We'll breach the gate and secure the compound. Everyone arm up and load up, we move in five minutes." Carmine ordered, everyone scrambled to double check their equipment.

Laurel was carrying an RPD and a KSG as he climbed up onto the Iron Mountain, Sun was behind him carrying the AK-74 and an RPG with a satchel of rockets. Sun passed Laurel the AK as he climbed up onto the tank, he lowered his equipment down into the Iron Mountain and climbed into the hull of the tank, closing the hatch behind him. Celadon tapped Carmine on the shoulder and handed him his SCAR-H along with an M60 and an RPG, Carmine took the equipment and made his way to the Stryker.

He climbed up onto it and opened the hatch, placing his weapons inside one after the other then lowering himself down into it and closing the hatch, he patched in his comms to Celadon "Celadon, are we docked?" He asked, releasing the button on his neck. There was some static but soon Celadon came through the headset "Yes Sir, just secured the anchor and am now extending the bridge for the vehicle and weapons bay. The door should be opening soon." Celadon said, the headset feed cutting off. The ground started to shake as the wall started to open up, light from the world shown onto the gray walls, the Iron Mountain started up as a plume of smoke shot out of the exhaust pipe.

Carmine turned the key and started up the Stryker, the body rumbled to life as the engine came to life. Celadon came running from the tower and climbed into the APC, sitting down next to Carmine and taking control of the main weapon system. The Iron Mountain slowly moved forward, exiting the battleship and hitting the ground. The tracks ate into the ground as it drove forward and parked next to a tree, the Stryker pulled out next and drove down the ramp to the land in front of them. Carmine pulled up next to the Iron Mountain and put it in park, he climbed out of the APC and sprinted toward the ship, making his way to a computer that was linked to the whole ship, he locked the ship up and activated the security system, closing the cargo bay door behind him.

Carmine ran back to the APC and climbed back into the cockpit, restarting the engine. He pressed his throat and began to speak "Alright, Operation Blonde Fury is a go. Move out!" Carmine said as he pressed the throttle pedal down with his foot, the APC began to drive forward into the woods, the Iron Mountain followed him as they made their way to the compound. Celadon primed the 30 mm Main Cannon and the .50 Caliber Machine Gun, he looked through the periscope as Carmine drove the APC toward the bandit camp. Celadon pressed his throat "Main Gate: Two Mikes out!" Celadon announced, Carmine pushed the throttle forward even more, the engine sounded demonic as it picked up speed.

"Iron Mountain: Fire!" Carmine ordered through the intercom, the main cannon of the Iron Mountain spit out fire as a 105 mm round screamed past the Stryker, the round hit the front gate and blew it apart, sending pieces of wood and metal flying everywhere. The Stryker blew through the smoke and raced into the compound, the Iron Mountain was close behind them as it pulled into the compound, coming to a stop and turning so the barrel was focused on the main tent. Carmine opened the hatch and rose out of it with an RPG in his hands, he aimed at a tower and pulled the trigger, the rocket shot out and flew toward the tower. The rocket hit the tower and obliterated the tower into splinters of wood, burning wood rained down around the compound.

Carmine climbed out and grabbed his SCAR and M60, Carmine placed the Scar on his back and pulled back the bolt on the M60, chambering a round from the chain of ammo in the box mag. Bandits ran out to engage Carmine and his team but were met with a hail of bullets, two bandits dropped to the ground in a pool of blood as Carmine moved toward the tent. A familiar face stepped in between Carmine and Raven's tent, Carmine lowered his weapon toward the ground "Verde, I don't want to hurt you, Raven kidnapped one of our friends and we're here to bring her back." Carmine said as the sound of gunfire and explosions echoed in the background, Verde nodded "I know, I protested her actions but she told me to know my place, you go get your friend and I'll hold them off." Verde said as he withdrew his ax, Carmine walked past him but stopped when he was a little bit behind him "Why don't you come with us, I could use another crew member." Carmine said, Verde nodded "I'll take you up on that offer but let's get out alive first." Verde said, Carmine pushed forward into the tent and entered it.

Raven was sitting at a table in the back of the room, he heard Yang shout "It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do." Yang said, Raven snickered "Not all of them. Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, but there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen, we did it to learn how to kill Huntsmen." Raven said as she sipped her tea, Yang gasped in horror.

"Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm? Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce, and Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in." Raven said as she stood up and walked over to the banner hanging on the wall.

Carmine walked forward and announced his presence "Stop right there, Raven! Yang, are you alright?" He asked as he maintained his LMGs focus on Raven, Yang nodded "Yeah, she was explaining something about Ozpin and Qrow." Yang explained as Carmine lowered his gun "Like I was saying, The Creatures of Grimm… have a master named Salem. She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet." Raven said as she sipped from her tea, Yang stood up "Why should we believe any of this?" She said in an angry tone of voice.

"Now you're catching on. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, but you need to question everything, Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow… and your fool of a father." Raven said, Yang stood up and discharged a round from her gauntlet into the table in anger "Don't you dare talk about my family like that!" Yang yelled furiously, her eyes turning red. Carmine walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder "Easy there, Tiger." Carmine said as he patted her on the shoulder, her eyes changed back to their usual lavender color, she exhaled and collapsed her gauntlet.

"Listen to your friend, Yang. Your teammates never let you down before." Raven said with a smirk, Yang gritted her teeth "You don't know the first thing about my teammates! About me! You were never there! You LEFT US!" She screamed dropping her head in sadness "Why?!" She asked solemnly, Raven took one last sip from her tea and sat the cup on a crate as she slowly walked around "I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know that magic is real, and I can prove it… If your friend calls off his assault." She said as she looked at Carmine.

Carmine growled in anger as he pressed his throat "All units cease-fire… I repeat cease-fire." Carmine said into his intercom, the gunfire and explosions died down immediately as Raven walked out of the back of her tent, Carmine led Yang out of the front to where his crew was waiting. There were a few bandits on the ground with their hands zip-tied together and a rifle pointed at their head, a bandit with a missing tooth looked up at Carmine as he walked up. Carmine crouched down so they were face to face "It's your lucky day, you get to live! Cut them loose." Carmine said as he stood back up, Blake unsheathed her sword and cut the zip tie off, the man stood up rubbing his wrist as he and the other bandits moved back to their tents.

Suddenly a black bird flew overhead, circling twice before flying into the trees "A… Raven?" Weiss said as the bird around "Well they are native to this forest area but why is one here… especially after the combat." Verde said as he placed his ax on his back, Yang stepped forward "I've seen that bird before." She said as she watched the bird. "Maybe it belongs to your mom." Weiss said as sheathed her sword, the bird dove toward the ground and flew straight for Yang. The bird weaved in and out of trees, shapeshifting into Raven Branwen who slid to a stop.

"How… How did you do that?" Yang asked, shocked by what she just saw. Raven stood up straight and placed a hand on the handle of her sword "Well, I could explain it to you…" She said as she drew her sword and sliced open a red portal "… or you could ask your uncle." She said as she sheathed her sword. Celadon stared in amazement and his mouth hung open, Raven laughed slightly "Close your mouth, sweetie. You look silly." Raven said, shaking her head. Celadon came back to reality and gathered his composure "Shit… Sorry." Celadon apologized as he acted busy.

"You're letting us go?" Yang asked cautiously, Raven sidestepped from the portal "I'm giving you a choice… Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all your questions and more. We can have a fresh start. Or… you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem, and meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?" She asked ominously, Yang clenched her fists "All I care about is making sure my sister is safe." Yang said as she stared at her mother, Raven scoffed.

Carmine stepped forward "So with this portal, you think it can teleport something like … a Battleship?" Carmine asked, Raven glared at him "As soon as she is gone, I want you out of my camp." Raven said with venom on her tongue, Yang glared at her "Hey… That man has saved my life more than you have so show some fucking respect!" Yang said pissed off.

Carmine walked over to Yang "Hey thanks for that Yang, I'm sending Weiss and Regalia with you. Weiss because she's your teammate and Regalia as my diplomat. I would send Laurel but he'd probably shoot the first person to look at you two wrong." Carmine said with a chuckle, Laurel pumped his fist "You fucking know it!" He exclaimed, Yang wheeled over her motorcycle and started the engine up, Weiss got on behind her. Carmine spoke to Regalia "As soon as you get there, secure the area and wait for us. We'll sail toward Haven and if you're in the area, radio us. Short range radios should still work fine." Carmine said as he explained his orders, Regalia nodded and loaded her Honey Badger.

Yang drove slowly toward the portal as Regalia followed behind her, Raven spoke up "Yang. If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet…" She warned her daughter, Weiss rolled her eyes and turned to Carmine, blowing him a kiss goodbye "You weren't kind this time either." Yang said as she drove into the portal, Regalia walked into it after her, the portal closing behind her. Carmine and his crew were left standing in the middle of the camp, the wind lightly blew across the camp. "Alright guys, load up and let's head back to the ship, we got a lot of sailing to do." Carmine said as he rested the M60 on his shoulder, everyone turned and made their way back to the tanks.

Raven stopped Carmine "Wait… Titan." Raven said catching Carmine's attention, he slowly turned around "There are only four groups of people who call me that: My family, My team, Jaune, and My enemies." Carmine said as he narrowed his eyes, Raven stepped forward "I was waiting for Yang to leave to say this but I do remember you. Your team killed five of my captains six years ago, the leader of their killers was called Titan of Wolf Pack. I vowed I would get revenge." Raven said as she unsheathed her sword.

Celadon, Laurel, Sun, and Verde surrounded her "Stand down, Raven." Carmine said as his crew readied their guns, a spent shotgun shell flew to the ground. "If you want to go at one v one, I'd be happy to throw down but know I will not hold back and I will erase you from the face of Remnant. Just do us all a favor and stand down, let it go. Those men had it coming anyway, they murdered an innocent family." Carmine said as he explained everything, Raven sighed and sheathed her sword. Carmine's crew lowered their weapons and backed away from the woman in red.

Verde climbed into the back of the APC with Blake as Celadon squeezed through the hatch, Carmine was about to lower himself down but Raven stopped him again "Carmine… Take care of Yang, okay?" She asked as she looked into the distance, Carmine nodded "Can do, Raven… and… Sorry about your Tribe." Carmine said as he lowered himself inside the APC, closing the hatch behind him. The Stryker slowly drove out of the camp with the Iron Mountain following close behind them, as they drove Celadon broke the silence "So we got a new crew member?" He asked curiously, Carmine nodded "Yeah, he showed strength and determination when we fought, and for him to help us get Yang, I knew he was Wolf Pack material." Carmine said as he drove, Celadon nodded as he looked through the periscope but suddenly coming to realization "Wait… Wolf Pack! Are we members?" He asked, referencing Laurel and Regalia.

Carmine chuckled "Yes, I just haven't been able to perform a ceremony to induct you in completely, you know… Cause of the whole world war thing." Carmine said as he turned the wheel and came to a stop, he hopped out of the APC and ran to the ship, punching in a few numbers into a keypad on the side. The side slowly opened, extending a bridge to the ground and allowing for the tanks to drive into the ship. Carmine walked in as the walls closed behind him "Celadon, come with me. Laurel, Sun, and Verde secure the vehicles." Carmine said as he made his way toward the tower.

Celadon followed him through the door into the command bridge "Celadon, set course for Haven Academy." Carmine said as he started up the engine, raising the anchor from the water below, Blake sat down in the chair beside him as he pushed the throttle forward. The ship crept forward through the ocean, making its way into the open ocean. Laurel, Sun, and Verde walked onto the bridge "Everything's secure." Laurel said as he sat down in the munitions chair, Carmine turned his attention to Verde "Welcome to the B.M.S. Valor, you're in charge of Anti-Air Defenses, the console is to the left." Carmine said, pointing to the computer to the left.

Verde sat down at the computer and turned it on, activating the Flak Cannons on the front of the ship and bringing them to life. "So we're looking at about two hours until we reach Haven so sit tight." Carmine said as he set the ship to autopilot and sat back in his chair, he pulled his gas mask off and clipped it to his belt, taking a deep breath in and exhaling.

 ***1 hour and 30 minutes later***

Carmine slowly opened his eyes as the ship continued to sail through the water, the radio clicked to life "… Valor… Come in Valor… this is Regalia calling… Valor" The radio crackled the message, Carmine turned around "Sun, clean up that signal!" Carmine said, Sun started turning the dials as the sound of static faded in and out, he spoke into the handset "This is the B.M.S Valor, come in Regalia." Sun said, Regalia came back through "Sun, it's Regalia. Tell the Captain that I just watched the ship sail past, port side." She said through the garbled signal, Sun turned around and spoke to Carmine "Sir, Regalia saw us pass where they're at, port side." Sun said, Carmine nodded and stood up, grabbing the wheel and turning it to the left.

The giant battleship turned to left as the ship sailed for the huge land mass in front of it, Celadon turned around in his chair "Sir, there is a seaport ahead where we can dock." Celadon said, Carmine nodded and pulled back on the throttle, slowing the ship down as it crept into port.

Carmine sounded the fog horn, announcing their presence as he extended the main bridge to the dock, as they all stood up Carmine stopped "Wait Verde, before we go, we got to get you some new gear. Come on." Carmine said as he led them to the Armory, pushing the bulkhead door open to reveal a room full of weapon racks, crates of armor, and boxes of explosives. Carmine walked in and turned around to face the group of people in the doorway "May I introduce to you, the mercenaries' playground." Carmine said as he flipped the lights on, Verde walked in and was in awe. Carmine scanned a stack of boxes, reading numbers out loud "3452-4 3452-5 ah here it is, 3452-6." Carmine said as he picked up a large crate and carried it over to a table, he sat it down and unfastened the lid, setting it on the ground.

Verde walked over and examined what Carmine had pulled out, he lifted a heavy IBA out of the crate. Verde traded his raggedy shirt in exchange for a black long sleeve ballistic shirt, he pulled it on followed by the Heavy IBA, Carmine helped him secure the sides and pulled out an extra piece from the box "Here, this will protect your throat." Carmine said as he secured the throat guard onto Verde's armor, he grabbed a molle vest from the crate and fastened it to the Heavy IBA, securing the sides to the main vest. Verde moved his arms and his body around "Huh, it almost feels like I'm wearing nothing." He said as he shifted the vest, Carmine chuckled "It's made up of lightweight ballistic weaving." He said as he walked over to the weapons cases, Verde pulled a pair of gloves out of the crate, they were black with steel studs on the knuckles.

He slipped them on and adjusted them, Verde pulled the cargo pants from the crate and slipped them on, fastening the tactical belt holster to his waist. Carmine walked back over with three black boxes and placed them on the table in front of Verde, opening all three in front of him "May I present to you the Ruger SR1911, chambering .45 ACP and behind door number two and three you got twin PP-2000's that are chambering 9 x 19mm." Carmine explained as he loaded a clip into each one and handed them to Verde who put them in a holster, the PP-2000s went into holsters on the side of his IBA while the 1911 went into a holster on his hip.

"I got a couple more surprises for you, one is this." Carmine said as he placed an M240B Light Machine Gun on the table "The M240 Bravo, chambering 7.62 x 51mm, it's belt fed so it might be at risk of jamming. Bipod comes on it standard but it can be swapped for a foregrip or whatever attachments you want." Carmine said as he placed a medium-sized box on the table "Here is the second surprise." Carmine said as he slid it toward Verde, he opened the lid and pulled out a black Devtac Ronin Helmet with red lenses. Verde unlatched the back and slipped it on over his head, closing it and locking it in place.

The red eyes came to life as the helmet adjusted itself to its new owner, Verde looked around "Damn, this is nice. I don't think I'll ever take it off." Verde said as he let the helmet auto-adjust, Carmine clapped his hand together "Alright, I think we're good to go." Carmine said as he pulled on his gas mask and adjusted the straps, pulling the hood over his head. Carmine walked out of the armory as his team followed him out, they made their way off the ship and onto the dock, "Celadon, find us a vehicle while I lock the ship up." Carmine said, Celadon nodded and made his way toward a building.

Carmine went up to a keypad and entered some numbers, pressing enter afterward and causing the ship to go into security mode, a minigun came down out of the roof and started moving from left to right. Carmine walked back down the ramp and rejoined his team, smacking Blake on the ass in the process. She jumped and smacked him "Babe, you're such an ass." She said playfully, he pulled her into his arms "But you love me!" He said as he held her, she hugged him tightly "You know I do." She said as she looked up into his crimson visor, her own reflection looking back at her. Celadon ran back "Hey, I found a van we can use." He said panting, Carmine stepped forward "Cool, how much is it to rent it?" Carmine asked, Celadon looked puzzled "Rent?" Celadon asked.

You could see Carmine's shocked expression through the gas mask "Celadon, where did you find that van?" Carmine asked, Celadon rubbed the back of his head "Do you really want that answer?" Celadon asked, Carmine sighed "Let's just go before we commit anymore Felonies." Carmine said as he got into the driver's seat, Blake got into the passenger seat as the rest got into the back. Carmine pressed the pedal down and drove down the road, he took a right and continued to drive toward Haven Academy.

As they drove, the top of Haven Academy broke over the horizon and continued to rise from the ground. Carmine turned left and pulled into a town outside of Haven Academy, he pulled up into the square and put it in park. Everyone got out with their weapons in hand, Carmine looked around the town "Keep your head on a swivel, something seems… off." Carmine said as he withdrew his SCAR-H, he raised his rifle and scanned the area. He kept his rifle pointed down range as he walked forward, Laurel, Celadon, and Verde came up behind him with their weapons raised. Carmine pressed his throat "Regalia, do you copy?" He asked through the radio, the radio static crackled until a female voice came through "Roger, sir." Regalia said through the radio, Carmine lowered his rifle "Yeah, we're in town but where is everybody?" Carmine asked through the radio, there was a momentary pause "Alright, I see you, just go up the road and take a left." Regalia said, Carmine turned around and signaled everyone back into the van.

Carmine drove up the hill, passing seemingly abandoned houses along the way "I wonder where everyone is?" Celadon asked as he looked through the window "A lot of people probably fled after seeing what happened to Beacon and feared that the same might happen to Haven." Carmine said as he turned onto a brick road, the van drove up the road until it reached the end of the road, Carmine shut the engine off and exited the vehicle with his team. Carmine readied his rifle as he walked toward the house, Laurel, Celadon, Sun, and Verde followed suit as they moved closer to the house. Carmine slid the door open slowly and quietly moved inside, checking the hallways as he crouched down by the wall.

He gestured to his team to move in quietly, Celadon slowly stepped through the doorway and crouched down by the wall next to the stairs. Laurel slowly moved into the house and took up point by the wall leading to the kitchen, Verde sneaked inside the best he could for being a heavy gunner, his heavy quiet footsteps causing the floor to creak as he crouched down in the middle of the room by the door.

The sound of voices could be heard coming from the living room as they regrouped quietly "How do you lose your map at a time like that?" A voice asked laughing, a male voice replied "Believe me, I've asked myself the same thing ever since." The voice said, a female voice replied to him "Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles! You should have seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on!" The other voice said, Carmine gestured to Laurel and Celadon to take the kitchen.

Celadon and Laurel moved to stack up on the wall while Carmine and Verde stacked up on the wall by the living room, Carmine gave a hand countdown to storm the room '3 – 2 – 1' Carmine counted down, Carmine and Verde stormed the room and pointed their weapons at the occupants while Laurel and Celadon came into the room from the other door. "Freeze!" Carmine yelled, the occupants shot up and raised their hands in terror. Carmine lowered his rifle and started laughing "Oh, you should have seen your faces!" Carmine said laughing. Yang glared at him "Haha very funny, dick." Yang said as she sat down, everyone else relaxed.

"Verde, this is Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arch, Ruby Rose, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Everyone, this is Verde Amarillo, my new heavy." Carmine said, introducing the man in all black. Verde bowed slightly "It is an honor to meet you all." Verde said, standing back up straight. "Hey, where's Sun?" Carmine asked looking around, he walked in with Blake "Hey, you left us out there." Sun said as he placed his AK against the wall, Verde sat his M240B on the table and extended the Bipod. "So, what were you all talking about?" Carmine asked as he sat down in a chair.

"Well, I was just about to talk about that guy at the Ball in Atlas." Weiss said, Carmine sat back and pulled off his mask, clipping it to his hip "Oh yeah, I had Celadon throw his ass out, it was pretty funny." Carmine said as he scratched his chin "Don't forget that we rocked the house that night." Laurel said, Carmine laughed "Yeah that was fun. I can't wait to do it again." Carmine replied laughing. Ruby ran over to Blake, wrapping her arms around her "Blake, I missed you so much! I'm glad you're back!" Ruby said as she hugged Blake, Blake patted her on the head "I missed you too, Ruby." Blake said as she held Ruby.

"What have you all been up to?" Ruby asked as she let go of Blake, Carmine stood up and walked to the door, opening it up and gesturing everyone over "I've got that behemoth!" Carmine exclaimed as he pointed to the battleship docked in the distance, Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren gasped at the sight "Fuck dude, you got a battleship now?!" Jaune asked bewildered, Carmine chuckled "Yeah, it has so much firepower in it." Carmine explained, he glanced over and saw Jaune's shield leaning against the wall. Carmine walked over to it and inspected it "Oh did you upgrade your sh…" Carmine stopped speaking when he noticed a familiar design on the bottom.

"I… Is that what I think it is?" Carmine asked monotone, sadness could be heard in his voice. Jaune walked up to him "Yeah, it's what was left of her armor, blacksmith said it was very fine metal." Jaune said fighting back tears, Carmine turned to Jaune "Jaune, I did everything in my power to stop Cinder, but it wasn't enough and I am deeply sorry." Carmine said apologizing for not saving Pyrrha, Jaune backhanded him across the face.

"You have nothing to apologize for, I know you fought until you had nothing left and even then you probably pulled some out of nowhere. You gave her a fighting chance and for that, I am thankful." Jaune explained, hugging Carmine. Carmine patted him on the back as he let go, Yang coughed to break the silence "So I got this thing, it's like the real thing maybe even better." Yang said as she showed off her robotic arm. Ruby bolted out to where her sister was standing "It looks so cool, is it just as strong?" Ruby asked, swooning over the robotic arm attached to her sister.

"Yep, it might actually be stronger than the original." Yang said, Nora slammed her arm on the table "Wanna bet?" She asked with a sinister look on her face, Yang sat down across from her and placed her arm on the table, grabbing a hold of Nora's hand. Carmine walked over "Cool, I call winner." He said as they started to wrestle, there was a great struggle as the hands of the two brutes fought each other. Nora grunted as she tried to force Yang's arm down, Ruby cheered "Come on Yang! Don't lose to a girl in a skirt!" Ruby cheered, Weiss looked over at Ruby "Ruby, you're wearing a skirt." She said with a scoff, Ruby grabbed Weiss and shook her "You're not cheering loud enough!" Ruby yelled.

Nora struggled against Yang's robotic arm "It definitely feels like the original, I'll give you that." Nora said with a sinister grin, Yang smirked back "It does have some cool new features." Yang said to the struggling orange haired girl who tilted her head "Oh yeah, like what?" Nora asked, the arm started clicking and suddenly shot off of Yang's arm, taking Nora with it into a wall. Everyone busted out laughing as Nora sat up dizzy, still holding onto Yang's arm. Carmine picked up the arm and tossed it back to Yang, she caught the arm and reattached it with an audible click, Carmine walked over to the couch and sat down with sigh of relief "It's nice to catch a break for once, too much combat can destroy a man's mind." Carmine said as he laid his head back, looking up at the roof only to be met with two pairs of eyes, one blue and one amber.

"Hey you two, what's up?" Carmine asked obliviously, they looked at each other and started to giggle "Why don't you go to sleep, I think you earned it." Weiss said with a familiar purr in her voice, Carmine shrugged and stood up, making his way toward the hallway with Blake and Weiss behind him. Laurel yelled down the hall at him "Remember, only fools don't wrap their tools!" Laurel said with a chuckle, Carmine yelled back down the hall "Remind me to throw you into the sea." Carmine said, everyone started laughing as the sound of a door shutting echoed through the house.

Carmine walked in and stripped his gear off, placing his weapons on the top of the dresser along with his dog tags. Blake and Weiss helped him take his IBA off, placing it in the corner along with his ballistic undershirt, Weiss felt the heavy material in her hands "Carmine, how much does all your gear weigh?" She asked concerned, Carmine thought for a moment "Hmmm, maybe fifty pounds give or take." The rifleman said, Blake and Weiss stared at him wide-eyed "But you move like it's nothing." Blake said dumbfounded, Carmine chuckled "Years of training, Onyx had us run three miles in that gear plus carrying a ten-pound rock." Carmine said, rubbing the back of his head. He stumbled over to the bed and fell back onto it, letting out a huge sigh "Oh it is so good to feel a bed again!" Carmine exclaimed as the mattress ate him.

Weiss threw a towel at him "You need to take a shower before you sleep, you smell like smoke and gunpowder." Weiss said as she opened the bathroom door, Carmine groaned and got out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on, letting the water warm up as he got undressed. As he was about to get into the shower, Blake and Weiss walked into the bathroom, Weiss shut the door behind her.

 ***Medium NSFW***

Blake pulled her jacket off and hung it up on the clothing hook, Weiss untied her dress and let it fall to the floor around her feet, she walked forward and got into the shower, dragging Carmine in with her. Blake stepped in and closed the door behind her, the hot water was soothing on their skin as Weiss kissed her boyfriend, she pushed him against the shower wall and Blake attacked his neck as Weiss continued to kiss him. His hands moved up and took a hold of their breasts, his magic hands caressing them.

He broke from Weiss's embrace and kissed Blake, pulling her in close to him, her breasts pressing into his chest. Weiss went down toward the ground as he continued to make out with Blake, she suddenly shuddered and dug her nails into his chest. Carmine chuckled and looked down "Careful now, snow bunny." Carmine said with a chuckle.

Carmine kissed Blake's neck as she used his chest to suppress her moans of ecstasy, her hands drifted south and caught him off guard "Woah, easy there kitty." He said with a grunt.

 ***End NSFW***

Carmine shut the water off and got out of the shower, he helped his two lovers out but Weiss could barely stand "How do you do it Blake?" She asked panting, Blake giggled "You'll get used to it, I was the same way when I first did it with him." She said as she dried off her hair, Weiss stood up and grabbed a towel to dry her hair off "You need to eat something sweet or whatever, that tasted too salty." Weiss said as she dried her hair off, Carmine nodded as he pulled on a pair of boxers, he wrapped his towel around Weiss and pulled both girls into his arms "I love you, both. I love you, Blake and I love you, Weiss." He said as he held them close, they smiled and hugged him back. He let go of them and made his way to the bed, pulling back the sheet and sliding into the middle of the bed.

Blake and Weiss exited the bathroom and climbed into bed with him, Blake to his left and Weiss to his right, the girls rested their heads on his chest as they got comfortable. Blake lightly played with his chest hair as laid there in his arm, Carmine closed his eyes and fell asleep, his mind hibernating as he slept.

 ***Two Hours Later***

Carmine woke up suddenly to the sound of someone yelling, he slowly crawled out of bed and left Blake and Weiss sleeping, he pulled on a pair of gym shorts and grabbed his revolver, quietly opening the door and slipping out of the room. He moved down the hall, cocking the hammer along the way, when he entered the main room he saw a man with black hair and a red cape looking at Ruby and Yang, there was a small teenager standing next to him.

Carmine cleared his throat and spoke up "Who are you and what do you want?" Carmine said angerly, the man turned around and looked at Carmine "Who am I? Who are you?" The man asked, Ruby and Yang tried to speak but Ren stopped them, Carmine chuckled "Carmine Sable, Leader of The Wolf Pack and Captain of the B.M.S. Valor. Now, who are you?" Carmine asked, narrowing his eyes. The man's eyes went wide "Carmine, it's me, Qrow Branwin. We met back at the Vytal Festival." Qrow said, Carmine uncocked the revolver and placed it on the table "Shit, my bad man, It's been a while since Vytal, I barely recognized you." Carmine said scratching the back of his head, Qrow chuckled lightly "I could say the same about you."

Carmine looked down at the small teenager "Who's this pipsqueak?" Carmine asked as Laurel tossed him a shirt, the boy walked forward and extended his hand "Oscar Pine, it's good to meet you, Carmine." Oscar said, Carmine grabbed his hand and shook it. Oscar's body flashed with a green aura, he was suddenly standing more confidently and composed. When he spoke, a ghostly voice emanated from his mouth "It's good to see you're alright, Carmine. I know you fought your hardest against Cinder and the White Fang." The voice said.

Carmine stepped backward and took a seat in a chair "Wh… What the fuck is that?" Carmine asked, placing his hand on his revolver. Ruby walked forward and placed her hand on Oscar's shoulder "Carmine, this is Professor Ozpin, he uh… died… sort of." She said, Ozpin walked forward "Relax Carmine." Ozpin said, Carmine shook his head "What happened? Why are you like this?" Carmine asked, Ozpin leaned against the table "Many years ago I failed to stop Salem and as a result, the gods cursed me so that when I die, my soul is merged with another, like-minded person. After I was defeated by Cinder, my soul found Oscar and our souls merged." Ozpin explained.

Carmine sighed "Good lord! that is a lot to take in." He said, standing up and walking around the room, he shook his head "I'm too tired to process this, I'm going back to sleep, please keep it down." Carmine said, making his way back to his room. As he entered, he closed the door quietly behind him and climbed back into bed with Blake and Weiss, he pulled them both into his embrace as he fell back asleep.

 ***The Next Day***

Carmine awoke to the smell of breakfast filling the house, as he started to get out of bed he noticed that Blake and Weiss were gone "Hmm, maybe they're eating breakfast?" Carmine said to himself as he got out of bed and pulled on his tactical cargo pants, he reattached his holsters and put the weapons back into them. "500: Check, FiveSeven: Check, Shotgun: Check, MP7: Check" Carmine said as he checked his gear.

He exited his room and made his way to the dining room. Ren, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss were in the kitchen cooking breakfast, Carmine walked in and greeted the room "Morning everyone!" Carmine said as he walked up to Blake and Weiss, he wrapped his arms around their waists and pulled them in close "Here are my angels, as beautiful as ever." He said, kissing them both on their cheeks, causing them to blush.

Carmine walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup, chugging it straight black, Ruby stared in disbelief "What?! No creamer? No sugar? Are you even human!?" Ruby Exclaimed, Carmine chuckled "Little red, when you're in the heat of battle, you get used to drinking it black and when you exhale hot steam, you can pretty much eat or drink anything." Carmine explained as he placed the cup in the sink, Carmine walked into the living room where his team was sitting "Hey guys, how's everyone's morning?" He asked, Celadon shrugged "Eh, it was good until Nora ate all the pancakes." Celadon said, glaring at Nora who was looking away whistling, Carmine shook his head laughing.

"You seem to be in a better mood, we were sure you were gonna shoot Qrow." Laurel said, Carmine shrugged "I need my sleep, without it I become very irritable." Carmine said as he sat down on the couch in between Laurel and Verde, Laurel looked over at him "So… You enjoy that shower last night?" He asked with a shit eating grin, Carmine sighed "Yeah, it was really relaxing. Especially this thing Weiss does where she takes my…" Carmine started to explain but Weiss bursted into the room "Carmine, can we see you in the kitchen real quick?" Weiss asked, Carmine shrugged and made his way to the kitchen where Blake was making something on the stove.

"What's up, sweetie?" Carmine asked, Weiss turned around and wrapped her arms around him "Please don't talk about what we did, you can tell them we had sex but please leave out the details." She pleaded, Carmine nodded "Anything for you." He said kissing her on the lips, he broke from her embrace and walked over to Blake, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into him, he lighting scratched one of her cat ears which caused her to purr lightly. "Here, we made you breakfast, we got some ideas from your team: Bacon, Hash browns, Steak, and Whiskey." Blake said placing a bottle of "Atlas's Best" on the table, Carmine sighed "God Damnit Laurel!" Carmine exclaimed, Laurel could be heard laughing in the other room, Regalia walked into the room and slugged Laurel in the arm to shut him up.

Carmine placed the bottle back into the cabinet and sat down at the table with the plate, he gestured everyone to take a seat at the large table. After ten minutes, everyone was gathered at the table and Carmine put his fork down, clearing his throat "Now that we're all here, we need to talk to the Headmaster of Haven Academy and see about procuring an airship for Wolf Pack usage." Carmine explained, Ozpin took over Oscar's body and began to speak "You want to speak with Leonardo Lionheart, he is the Headmaster and one of my trusted associates." Ozpin said, Carmine nodded as he ate his breakfast. Blake spoke up "Why do we need an airship?" She asked, Carmine finished eating and cleared his throat "Having a battleship at our disposal is great but we need something faster and that we can get around Remnant faster, we can outfit an airship with weaponry and munitions to make it better." Carmine explained.

Carmine looked around the table at the people looking at him "If everyone is in agreement, then arm up and be ready to move out." Carmine said, dismissing the table. As everyone was leaving he stopped "Wait, can I see Celadon, Laurel, Regalia, Verde, and Sun outside." Carmine said, making his way outside.

Everyone lined up outside as Carmine stared into the distance, Carmine turned around and addressed the group "I gathered you here for one thing: To make you official members of Wolf Pack, it's been three years since my brothers were killed and I was the sole survivor of the group. Today, I'm changing that." Carmine said, the group cheered until Carmine raised his hand. "So, let's begin: Do you vow to protect the people of Remnant, man or woman, Human or Faunus?" Carmine asked, the group collectively agreed. "Do you vow to uphold the beliefs and honor the members that have fallen before you?" Carmine asked again, the group again cheered. Carmine paused for a moment before he continued again "Do you vow to wipe out evil wherever you find it? Whether it be Grimm or Man?" Carmine asked, the group cheered in agreement.

Carmine smiled "Congratulations and Welcome to Wolf Pack, it is an honor to work with you." Carmine said, the group applauded and cheered. Laurel stepped forward "So when do we get those sick tattoos?" He asked, Carmine chuckled "Well, if we can find the guy who did it in Vale then you'll get them, also gotta find a good friend of mine to get your dog tags custom made." Carmine explained as he led them back inside, Carmine made his way back to his room. He grabbed his undershirt from the hanger and slipped it on followed by his ballistic hoodie, he zipped up the front of it, Carmine put on his IBA and secured the sides.

Carmine picked up his backpack and placed it on the bed, he opened it up and checked the contents "Grenades: Check, C-4: Check, Claymores: Check, Flashbangs and Smoke grenades: Check." Carmine said out loud as he checked his gear, when he finished he placed the bag on his back. As he was leaving he picked up his SCAR and placed it on his back, he closed the door behind and made his way down the hall to the main room where everyone was waiting. Nora stepped forward "So why are we taking our weapons with us?" She asked curiously while resting her hammer on her shoulder, Carmine chuckled a bit "Think of it like preemptive planning, just in case we run into any threats." Carmine explained, he made his way out to the Van and got into the driver seat, starting up the engine as the others got into the back, Weiss climbed into the passenger seat with Carmine.

Carmine pressed the gas pedal and drove down the road, taking a left and driving up the hill toward Haven Academy. Carmine looked into the rearview mirror "Alright everyone, be on high alert, we don't know what we're driving into." Carmine said as he drove toward Haven. The van came to a stop outside the front of the Academy, Carmine looked around as he got out of the vehicle "It's really quiet here, where is everyone?" Carmine asked aloud as he readied his rifle, Verde hopped out of the van and chambered a round in his LMG "I don't know but it seems very… odd." Verde said as he scanned the horizon, a crow flew by the van and rocketed into the sky where it circled for a bit before dive-bombing toward the ground where it disappeared behind a tree. Qrow stumbled out from behind the tree "Woah too fast but uh yeah I didn't see anyone up there." Qrow said as he walked back to the group, Carmine grabbed one of Verde's PP2000's from its holster and cocked it, handing it to Qrow "I've seen your weapon so trust me, you need this." Carmine said as Qrow to the SMG from him, inserting it into his waistline.

Qrow led the group into the Academy where it seemed as abandoned inside as it did outside, Carmine signaled for his team to fan out, the six members of Wolf Pack split up and moved into the courtyard.

Celadon walked over to a balcony and looked over the edge "Guys, you may want to come see this!" Celadon called out as he backed up, Carmine ran over and slid to a stop by Celadon "Yo, where's the fire?" He asked looking around, Celadon handed him his sniper rifle and pointed at something in the distance "There." Celadon said as he pointed, Carmine looked through the scope and focused on a collection of tents, there were people at them walking around. Both Human and Faunus conversing and buying or selling goods "It seems to be a market, why did you make it seem like something big?" Carmine asked as he handed the rifle back to Celadon, the sniper shook his head "Don't you see, this place isn't abandoned or deserted, the semester is over and the students went home." Celadon said, the group let out a collective "Oohhhh" as they finally realized what he meant.

Qrow led the group to a set of large doors, he tried to open it but it wouldn't budge "Ahh, the damn thing is stuck." Qrow said frustrated, hushed talking and whispering could be heard through the door, it sounded like pleading. Carmine moved Qrow aside and opened his backpack, pulling out a rolled up pad and placing it on the door, unrolling it upward. Carmine turned around "Alright, everyone needs to something sturdy to get behind. The more solid the better." Carmine said as he placed his back against a wall, Carmine checked that everyone was safe before counting down "3… 2…1… Contact!" Carmine yelled as he pressed the detonator, the door exploded into a million shards of wood that peppered the inside of the room, Verde broke from cover and activated his FLIR lenses in his helmet, Carmine stacked up behind him and together they pushed into the room.

"Contact: One unknown tango." Verde said as the dust cleared, a man with long hair was on the ground coughing and trying regain his composure, he looked up only to be met with two gun barrels "Oh gods, don't shoot!" The man said, throwing his arms up to shield himself. Carmine and Verde lowered their weapons "Professor Lionheart?" Carmine asked as he knelt down next to the man, the man lowered his arms "Yes? Who are you?" He asked confused, Carmine stood up "My name is Carmine Sable, this is Verde Amarillo and we're with Wolf Pack. There are more behind me but we came in first to secure the area." Carmine said, Lionheart looked at the doorway "By blowing up a $100,000 Lien door?! Are you insane?" Lionheart asked upset, Carmine chuckled "When the door wouldn't open, I had to get the door open. Now I could have kicked it open but where's the fun in that." Carmine said laughing, Lionheart shook his head angrily.

Qrow walked forward "Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?" Qrow asked pointing his finger at Lionheart, Lionheart grabbed his watch "Huh? Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me." Lionheart said, apologizing. "So, where is everybody?" Nora asked, Lionheart looked at the group of teenagers "Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart said to the group, the group addressed themselves "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Carmine Sable, Verde Amarillo, Celadon Bisque, Regalia Aureolin, Laurel Vermillion, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, and I'm Oscar Pine" The group introduced themselves, Oscar walked forward and let Ozpin take over "It's good to see you, Leonardo." Ozpin said, Leonardo stepped backward "Ozpin? Is that you?" Leonardo asked, Ozpin nodded "Yeah, it's a long story but that's not the point. Carmine needs your assistance with something." Ozpin said, gesturing Carmine forward.

Carmine walked over to Lionheart's desk and placed his scroll on the desk, a projection emerged from the scroll and created a hologram screen, a picture of the B.M.S. Valor showed up "Leo, this is the B.M.S. Valor, my battleship. It's great but it isn't fast enough for us to get around, we need an airship. We would be very grateful if you could spare one for us to use." Carmine asked, Leonardo scratched his beard in thought, Carmine picked up his scroll and placed it in his pocket. Lionheart placed his own scroll down on the table and projected a map of Mistral, he zoomed in on the surrounding area and showed a large warehouse "Here, in this building you'll find an airship for you to use." Lionheart said, writing down the coordinates and directions.

Carmine wrote down the directions in his scroll and starting the guidance system, he walked back over to his team "Alright, let's go see what kind of airship is in store for us." Carmine said leading his team back to the van but Qrow stopped them "Wait, there's one more thing. We need to get to the Spring Maiden before Cinder and her goons." Qrow said, Carmine stopped in his tracks and turned around "So, we have to worry about the White Fang and Cinder's goons too, that's just not fun at all. Let's just collect the airship and then worry about our next step, besides do we even know where the Spring Maiden is?" Carmine asked as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

Qrow looked down at the ground "That's the thing… She's with my sister, Raven." Qrow said solemnly, the group gasped in disbelief. "Well this is strange, we were just there not too long ago." Carmine said with a chuckle. Laurel walked forward "So, what is the game plan? Total annihilation? Raiding a compound? Ohhh please tell me we're raiding a compound! I could use some free gear." Laurel said clapping happily, Regalia smacked him on the back of the head "You're a huntsman not a bandit, dumbass." Regalia said scolding him, Qrow raised his voice "Ladies please! We're trying to plan here!" Qrow yelled, Carmine walked forward and clapped his hands together "Either we go after an airship or we go after the Spring Maiden." Carmine said, Verde cleared his throat to get everyone's attention "Why don't we split up into two teams, one team goes after the airship while the other one goes after the Spring Maiden." Verde explained, Carmine snapped his fingers "I like it! Wolf Pack will go after the airship, while Qrow and the others go for the Spring Maiden." Carmine said as he gathered his team, Qrow nodded and let Wolf Pack go.

Carmine stopped at the exit and turned back toward the main room "Blake, come with us." Carmine said, Blake ran forward and joined his group, they made their way to the van. Wolf Pack took off down the road in the van, as Carmine drove he followed the guidance system turn for turn. Carmine's scroll beeped announcing their arrival at the facility, Carmine shut the van off and got out of the vehicle "Alright, let's get this ship and go." Laurel said as he ran to the door, flinging it open. Carmine walked in with the rest of the group, Sun searched the wall eventually finding a circuit breaker, he opened the cover and flipped the electricity on. The lights on the roof clicked on and illuminated the room, a large airship sat in the middle of the room. The airship resembled the ones that flew all around Mistral except this one was made of metal, had a set of wings, and six jet engines. Wolf Pack ascended the staircase to the main deck, Laurel inspected the front of the airship while Carmine went into the tower.

Carmine started flipping switches and twisting knobs, pressing the ignition and starting the engine up. Celadon read off the diagnostic screen "Engine 1 is go, Engine 2 is go, Engine 3 through 5 is go, Engine 6 is … go, all engines are a go." Celadon said as he finished reading the screen, Carmine pressed the throttle forward causing the jets to shoot fire out of them. Sun projected his clones off of the ship and down to the facility control panel, one of the holograms pulled a switch which opened the roof. The roof separated revealing the blue sky to the deck of the ship, Carmine pressed the throttle forward causing the airship to rise into the air, Carmine flipped a switch that caused the jets to go horizontal and propel the airship through the air. Carmine steered the ship toward the bay where the Valor was docked, he pushed the steering wheel down causing the ship to fly down to the deck of the Valor, the ship landed on the back of the ship.

"What are we getting?" Laurel asked as he got off the airship, Carmine followed him into the cargo hold of the ship "Alright, we're grabbing four crates of M2 Brownings, there are two guns per crate so we'll mount four guns on each side of the airship. Also there is an AGS-30 Grenade Launcher that we can mount on the front." Carmine said as he loaded the crates onto a cart, Laurel helped him push the cart up onto the deck of the Airship, dropping the crates onto the deck. Laurel pried the lid of the crate off and pulled out one of the M2 HMGs, lifting it up and mounting it on the railing. He let it drop down as he hooked the box mag onto the gun, Carmine lifted the AGS out of its crate and carried it to the front of the ship, mounting it on the bow. After an hour, all of the guns were mounted and mostly manned, Carmine walked into the main Bridge and restarted the ship, the rest of Wolf Pack came back onto the bridge with Carmine as the ship flew away from Mistral.

"So, where to now?" Regalia asked as she took a seat in a chair by the window, Carmine was about to speak when there was a distress call that came through the radio "Mayday! Mayday! This is the Menagerie guard, we are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!" The radio screamed before cutting out, Carmine looked over at Blake who looked worried. "Well, looks like we're going back to Menagerie." Carmine said as he steered the ship toward the Island of Menagerie. "Wait, how did we receive a broadcast from them? The CCT towers are down." Sun asked, confused. "Relay towers that are scattered across the lands pick up the signal and boost it." Carmine said as he flew the ship. Within minutes, the airship reached Menagerie and flew over the island, Carmine pulled back on the throttle and slowed the ship down. Celadon ran to the outer railing and looked down at the houses below, he could see men with guns running toward a house with people outside shooting in. Celadon ran back into the bridge "Guys! It's the Belladonna House that is under attack!" Celadon said panting, Blake covered her mouth in horror.

Carmine narrowed his eye "Alright Wolf Pack, Prepare for Battle." Carmine said as he made the air ship start to descend.

 **(A/N: And thus concludes Chapter 13, I hope you like it. Leave a review letting me know what you thought of it, and Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review. And as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.)**


	14. Chapter 14: Wolf Fang

Chapter 14: Operation Wolf Fang

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to leave a Review.**

The Airship flew down toward the ground and quickly leveled out, flying eighty feet above Menagerie. Laurel, Celadon, and Verde ran over to the mounted Heavy Machine Guns that were mounted on the left side of the Airship, Carmine looked over to Blake, Regalia, and Sun who were standing next to him "Strap yourself in, this is gonna get bumpy." Carmine said, Blake sat down in a chair next to Carmine and fastened herself into the chair, Sun and Regalia strapped themselves into the seats that were mounted on the wall in the back.

Carmine adjusted a few knobs causing the airship to tilt as it slowly flew around the Belladonna compound, two large spotlights kicked on that were mounted on the side of the airship and illuminated the whole compound including all of the White Fang insurgents that were attacking the Belladonna royal guard. The three Wolf Pack mercenaries took aim and opened fire, the large bullets ripped into the White Fang insurgents and splattered them all over the ground. Three white fang ran out and took aim at the airship but bullets ripped two of them apart, the third one took off running but two bullets ripped through his leg and tore it off, the man collapsed on the ground and pulled himself along the ground with a trail of blood behind him.

Verde took aim at the wounded insurgent's head and fired, the bullet splattered his head all over the ground. A white fang truck pulled up out front of the compound, Celadon ran over to the grenade launcher that was mounted on the front of the airship, he fired a few 40 mm rounds at the truck and blew it up. The truck tumbled around and engulfed in flames, trapping the insurgents inside of the truck and burned them alive, their screams echoed through the town. The screams died down as they finally died in the fire, the fire finally extinguished itself and left the charred remains to the world.

The front doors of the Belladonna compound bursted open and two white fangs were thrown out, Laurel fired into them and killed them quickly. Carmine flew the airship around to a clearing and hovered five feet off of the ground, Carmine started typing into the control panel of the ship's computer, he connected his scroll and uploaded his Cyber Cell, Black Skull, into the ship's mainframe and programmed it into the ship itself. He disconnected the scroll and typed on his scroll, accessing the airship and its equipment.

Blake walked over to him and looked at his scroll "What are you doing?" She asked as he typed away on his scroll. He looked up at her, his crimson visor reflecting her amber eyes, he turned his scroll around and showed her the display "I connected my Cyber Cell, Black Skull, into the ship so I can remotely control the airship from my scroll. I can control everything from the engines to the mounted guns, the guns have cameras under the barrels that are equipped with FLIR thermal, IRNV or Infrared/Night Vision, and Personnel Identification Database Cameras." Carmine explained as he pulled up the cameras on the mounted guns, the scroll screen showed the barrels spitting fire and bullets at the approaching insurgents.

Carmine placed the scroll into his pocket and grabbed his Scar, placing it on his back and led part of his team outside where Laurel, Celadon, and Verde were firing the mounted guns. Carmine got their attention and had them regroup with him, he led them out onto the ground and away from the Airship. He pulled out his scroll once again and accessed the airship, sending it flying into the sky where it maintained altitude above the Belladonna compound. He accessed the ship's guns and configured the targeting parameters of the guns, he tilted his head when a seventh option was shown on his screen. He accessed the info of the seventh option, he read the weapons information and pressed a button that said 'Deploy'.

The bottom of the airship near the front opened up and a GAU-19 lowered from inside of the airship, the barrel extended into place and angled itself, ready to target. Carmine set the parameters of the gun to defense while the others were set to assault, Carmine set the seven targeting parameters to target all those with white fang uniforms on. When he finished, he placed the scroll back into his pocket and pulled out his Scar, pulling back the bolt to chamber a round. "Right, so the airship is set to target the White Fang insurgents, the cameras will scan for all targets with the White Fang masks on." Carmine explained, Blake's eyes went wide "Ilia." Blake said softly to herself before she took off toward the firefight.

"We got a runner!" Laurel shouted as the Wolf Pack followed her into battle, Carmine headed up the pack into battle and engaged the insurgents. Carmine drove his boot into the gut of an insurgent, sending him into a wall where he slid down to the floor, Verde withdrew his twin PP-2000's and opened fire on a couple of White Fang insurgents. The bullet-riddled insurgents collapsed to the ground in pools of blood, one was still alive and attempted to raise a pistol at Verde. He kicked the gun from his hand and pulled out his ax which was collapsed in a short form, he pressed a button on the side which extended the ax to its full form. Verde grabbed it with both hands and swung back, driving the ax down into the insurgent's head and finally killing the insurgent. Verde placed his foot on the corpse's back and pulled the ax from its head, he pressed the button again causing the ax to collapse and replaced it on his back once again.

Carmine turned around and walked up to Verde, grabbing him by his IBA "What the FUCK was that?!" Carmine yelled as he pushed Verde against a wall, Verde raised his hands "What? He raised a gun at me." Verde said struggling slightly, Carmine exhaled angrily and purged the steam from his gas mask "Next time use a bullet, not an ax unless you were previously engaged in melee combat. Our ethics are humane and morally sound, we don't practice brutality." Carmine said as he released Verde who shook his head "Right, sorry sir." Verde said apologizing as he picked up his M240B and rejoined the group, Carmine led them into the compound where the sound of muffled gunfire could be heard.

Carmine tried to open the doors but learned that they were jammed, he placed his hand on the door and charged a supernova, after twenty seconds of charging the blast he detonated the charge, blowing the door open and revealing Ghira fighting a couple of insurgents. The behemoth of a man grabbed one of the insurgents and threw him into the wall with great force, his now lifeless body falling to the floor, he grabbed the other one and broke his spine with his knee. Ghira dropped the body and stood up straight, extending his arms to the side "Carmine! Perfect timing, the fun is just beginning!" Ghira said with a hearty laugh.

Carmine walked forward and gave Ghira a warrior's handshake, both men grabbed the other's forearm and greeted each other. "So, what does the situation look like?" Carmine asked as he let Ghira's arm go, Ghira sighed and stretched his arms, popping a joint in his shoulder "Well, the White Fang invaded the house and started shooting up the place, they killed four of my guard." Ghira explained. Everyone was alerted when they heard Kali yell, Carmine ran up to the main door and kicked it open, Carmine raised his weapon and fired, killing two White Fang Insurgents that were firing at an overturned table. He ran forward and leaped over the table, rolling into a crouched position while aiming at another door "Kali, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Carmine asked as he watched the door, Kali stuttered a bit as she looked at the injured guard next to her "Y-Yeah I'm fine but I don't know about him." Kali said, gesturing to the injured guard next to her.

Carmine moved over to the injured guard and inspected the gunshot wound "It's just a flesh wound, I need to doctor it or it might get worse." Carmine said as he tore the guard's shirt and used it to dress the guard's wound, he applied pressure to the wound. The white cloth filled with blood as it patched the wound, Carmine gestured to Kali "Here, hold your hand on the cloth and keep pressure on the wound." Carmine said as Kali placed her hand on the guard's wound, Carmine stood up as the rest of his team came into the room, Laurel took aim at the other door as Blake went to hug her mom. Regalia ran over to the guard and started working on his wound, her hands glowed purple as the wound closed up, she moved the cloth and inspected the guard's shoulder "Alright, he should be good now." Regalia said as she sat him against the overturned table.

Blake held her mom close "I'm glad you're safe, when we heard the distress call I got so worried." Blake said as she hugged her mom, Ghira called Carmine back into the room with him "What's up?" Carmine asked as he jogged into the room, Ghira pointed to the front of the room where Corsac and Fennec were standing. "Oh these fuckers again, can you guys just Fuck. Off." Carmine said with a sigh, Corsac stepped forward "We will when Ghira steps down and dies! Corsac said as he pulled out a golden dagger, Carmine stepped in front of Ghira "You want him, you'll have to go through me." Carmine said as he raised his rifle at the Albain brothers, Sun walked up and stood next to Carmine "I got this sir, you go ahead. I've been wanting to beat these fuckers up for the longest time." Sun said as he pulled out his staff, Carmine nodded and ran back to the rest of his team.

As he entered the room he passed by three bodies, he picked up an HK 416 and a few magazines from one of the bodies that was on the ground. Carmine dropped the magazine from the receiver and slapped in a fresh mag, pulling back the firing bolt to chamber a round. Carmine walked up to Kali and took the revolver from her, handing her the HK 416 along with a few spare mags. "This beats a tiny ass revolver, it's on semi-automatic so just point and shoot." Carmine said as he showed her how to use it. Celadon walked up to him "I'll stay here with her, you guys go ahead and go." Celadon said as he pulled out his G36 and cocked it. Carmine placed his hand on Celadon's shoulder "Thank you and stay safe, my friend." Carmine said as he ran into the next room with the others.

They came into an open room with three large doors on three sides of the room, Blake came to a stop and looked up at a woman standing on the rail of the second floor, her skin changed as she saw Blake "Ilia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe." Blake said as she stared up at the masked girl, she winched at what Blake said "I'm sorry." Ilia said, Blake stepped forward "You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsac and Fennec." Blake pleaded with the girl, her skin turned red with yellow spots "No… I'm sorry." Ilia said as she removed her mask, three white fang insurgents ran in with their guns pointed at Blake and Carmine.

Carmine turned around to analyze the situation "Blake, you need to fix this now." Carmine said as he pulled out his Scar, suddenly a web-like substance came from the shadow in the corner and wrapped around Blake, dropping her to the ground "I got her." A female voice said as she walked out of the shadow, she had short silver hair with part of it covering her right eye. Carmine turned to face her "Let her go and I'll assure you safe passage out of here." Carmine said trying to make a deal, the spider faunus narrowed her eyes at Carmine "Why do you care? Human trash." She said spitting at the rifleman, Carmine sighed and shrugged his shoulders "Can't say I didn't try to do this peacefully, I vowed to never strike a woman but that's why I have her. Regalia, will you do the honors?" Carmine asked turning to the purple haired medic, she grinned and cracked her knuckles while walking toward the silver-haired faunus.

Carmine fumbled to grab his scroll from his pocket and switched to the music player, scrolling through his songs and pressing play on a song.

 **Fall Out Boy – Centuries**

 **Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold but you will remember me, remember me for centuries. And just one mistake Is all it will take We'll go down in history Remember me for centuries.**

Regalia walked up to the silver-haired faunus and hit her in the face, causing her to stumble backward, dropping the silk binding that was wrapped around Blake. Regalia grabbed the back of her head and brought it down into her knee, the woman stumbled backwards while holding her nose "Ahh! You bitch!" The spider faunus exclaimed.

 **Mummified my teenage dreams No, it's nothing wrong with me The kids are all wrong The story's all off Heavy metal broke my heart. Come on, come on and let me in The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints And this is supposed to match The darkness that you felt, I never meant for you to fix yourself.**

The silver-haired woman withdrew a dagger from behind her back, she flipped the blade backwards and crouched down as Regalia pulled a tanto knife from her boot. "So, what's your name?" Regalia asked as she circled around the room, opposite of the silver-haired woman "Trifa, remember the name for when I kill you." Trifa said with a sinister giggle. Regalia cracked her neck as she readied herself for combat, Trifa charged at her and slashed at her torso but she moved out of the way, grabbing Trifa by the shoulder and throwing her back across the room. she stumbled back into the wall but caught herself before she collapsed to the ground.

 **Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold but you will remember me, remember me for centuries. And just one mistake Is all it will take We'll go down in history Remember me for centuries.**

Trifa pushed off of the wall and sprinted toward Regalia, the purple haired medic readied herself as the spider faunus got closer. Regalia delivered a swift roundhouse to Trifa's left side, following it up with a right hook to the side of her face. She stepped back while composing herself, wiping the blood from her mouth "Huh, you sure know how to fight." Trifa said, spitting out a tooth onto the floor. Carmine called in from the side of the room "You dropped your tooth." Carmine said grinning inside his mask while still holding his scroll.

 **And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name 'Cause I was only born inside my dreams Until you die for me, as long as there's a light, my shadow's over you 'Cause I, I am the opposite of amnesia, And you're a cherry blossom You're about to bloom You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon.**

"You ready to end this?" Regalia asked as she put her knife back into its sheath that was attached to her ankle, Trifa threw her blade down and made it stick into the floor "Ready when you are, bitch." Trifa said with a grin with one of her teeth missing. Trifa charged at Regalia who just stood there like a sentry, as the faunus got closer Regalia drew her fist back and cocked it, ready to deliver the final blow. When Trifa was five feet from her she let her fist fly, as it flew through the air the spider faunus ducked down and drove her shoulder into Regalia's torso, wrapping her arms around the purple haired medic. Trifa shot a web out and trapped both of Regalia's feet to the floor along with her hands to the wall, Trifa back away from the now struggling Regalia.

 **Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold but you will remember me, remember me for centuries. And just one mistake Is all it will take We'll go down in history Remember me for centuries.**

Trifa slowly strutted back to where she left her knife, pulling it from the hardwood floor and examining the blade. She slowly walked back to the trapped medic, placing the knife up to her neck and making a small cut that drew blood. Trifa wiped the blood up with her finger and licked it "Mmm, your blood tastes so sweet, I can't wait to taste the rest of you." Trifa said with an evil giggle, Laurel perked up "Wait, what's happening now? Girl on Girl? Please tell me it's girl on girl!" Laurel asked giddily, Carmine placed his hand on his face and let out an audible sigh "For fuck's sake Laurel!" Carmine exclaimed. Trifa grabbed the back of Regalia's head and held it still, she forced her lips on to Regalia's and kissed the medic deeply and passionately, Trifa's hand drifted down to under Regalia's skirt. As Trifa kissed her she pushed her hand upward causing Regalia to shudder in slight ecstasy. Trifa broke the kiss and pulled away, a trail of saliva was the only thing connecting them but it broke as Trifa backed away. She flipped the blade around and raised it, ready to strike Regalia down "Hope you enjoyed your last moments of life." Trifa said with a sinister grin.

 **We've been here forever And here's the frozen proof, I could scream forever We are the poisoned youth.**

A gunshot rang out through the room as the song finished playing on Carmine's scroll, the knife fell from Trifa's hand and clattered to the ground. She started gasping as she covered the bullet wound in her abdomen, she stumbled backwards while spitting up blood from her mouth.

She fell down to her knees, removing her hands from the wound only to see them covered in blood. Carmine walked up to her while holding his Scar, the barrel still smoking, he looked down at her as she spit up more blood "I'm sorry it had to end this way but I did try to do this peacefully, you chose to fight us so in the end this is on you." Carmine said as he raised his rifle, aiming it at Trifa's chest but the faunus collapsed onto the ground, dead. He lowered his rifle, placing it onto his back as he walked over to Regalia, pulling his knife from it's sheath and cutting the silk binds. Regalia moved away from the wall while rubbing her wrists "Thanks, Carmine." Regalia said as she walked back to the group and stood next to Laurel "You know, I don't ever remember seeing your actual weapon, what is it anyway?" Laurel asked, Regalia chuckled lightly "I didn't bring it with me when we went to Atlas to join up with Carmine, I live in Mistral so when we get back I can get it from my house." Regalia said as Carmine walked back over to stand next to Blake, looking up at Ilia while placing his hands on his hips.

"Did you come in here to hide?" Blake asked with her arms outstretched, Ilia scoffed "I told you, I didn't want this!" Ilia said, Blake stepped forward "But you're still here!" Blake shouted. Carmine adjusted his IBA and kept his rifle pointed downward, he shifted his weight to his left leg "I don't have a choice!" Ilia yelled, "Of course you do!" Blake said pleading with her friend, Ilia looked away from Blake. Blake sighed and put her sword on her back "Just… Stay out of my way." Blake said as she started to walk away, Carmine glared at Ilia as they walked away. Ilia leaped from the second floor and charged at Blake and Carmine, the rifleman transformed his sword and blocked her attack, he brought up his knee to push her away. Ilia transformed her sword into a whip and snapped at Carmine who dodged, Laurel ran in from the side and tackled her to the ground. Ilia kicked Laurel off of her and ran away, suddenly the lights cut out and left the room in total darkness "Careful, she has chameleon attributes so she can blend in with everything." Blake said as she looked around, Carmine stood up "Verde, you're up!" Carmine said, the tank walked up and pressed the side of his helmet, activating the FLIR.

Verde looked around the room, he focused on a section of the room "Corner by the sofa!" Verde said as he raised his LMG, firing in that direction. The bullets chewed through the wall and the couch, Ilia rolled out of the way as the bullets pierced the wooden wall, sending splinters of wood flying all over the place. "Cease fire!" Carmine yelled as he stood up, Verde lowered his LMG and deactivated the FLIR in his helmet, Carmine looked around the now silent room as the sound of heavy machine gun fire echoed outside "Ilia, it would be smart of you to give up because we have you out gunned and out manned." Carmine said as he walked slowly through the room, Laurel and Regalia slowly moved up a staircase to the second floor.

Blake looked around the dark room "Why do you feel like we have to hurt people to get our way?" Blake asked, calling into the darkness "Because it works!" Ilia called from the darkness, Regalia jerked her gun right "Found you, bitch!" Regalia said as she pulled the trigger, bullets spat from the barrel of her Honey Badger as she fired at Ilia but the Chameleon dove out of the way, Ilia whipped a charge of electricity at Regalia but the charge hit the wall behind them. Blake loaded a red clip into her pistol, taking aim at the roof "Sorry dad." She said as she fired, the dust round hit the wood and engulfed it in fire. The fire quickly spread and illuminated the room, Ilia was crouched down in the corner.

"Just because violence works, doesn't make it right! How do you think I get entire towns to follow me? Because I show them that I'm someone worth following and that I represent them with the best of intentions. By following Adam, you are willing to say you'd like to see all humans dead at your feet and know this, you'd have to face off with us first and that is signing your own death certificate. I promise you that." Carmine said as he stared at Ilia, she stood up "Stop lecturing me!" Ilia yelled as she whipped her blade at Carmine and Blake, Blake leaped out of the way and slid behind an overturned table "Why couldn't you just leave, Blake?!" Ilia yelled, Blake peeked from behind the table "Because I run too much!" Blake yelled back.

"You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did! If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left… is to attack back!" Ilia yelled, causing Carmine to chuckle eventually bursting into laughter "Hahahahaha… Oh that has to be the funniest joke I ever heard, there are people stopping humans from hurting Faunus. They're people like us in the Wolf Pack, and I don't think you've ever heard of the saying 'Hate breeds Hate.' Well, it goes like this "Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love... Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the human, but to win his friendship and understanding." It is those words that should be the driving force behind your actions" Carmine said as he sat down on a bullet-riddled couch.

Blake stood up and sprinted at Ilia, tackling her to the ground "Ilia… please. You're a good person but you're making all the wrong decisions!" Blake pleaded with the chameleon girl "SHUT UP!" Ilia yelled in anger as she tried to break free, Blake continued to hold her down "Is this really what your parents would've wanted?!" Blake asked causing Ilia to look shocked, her voice began to break "I don't know what else to do!" Ilia said as she fought back tears, she stopped fighting and started to break down "I don't know what else to do…" Ilia said as she started to cry, Blake held her close. Carmine stood up and clapped his hands together "Good job, team," Carmine said as there was a huge crash, Corsac Albain flew through the wall and crashed to the ground. Carmine looked at his hands "Did I do that?" He asked himself looking around, Ghira walked through the hole in the wall and roared at Corsac.

Blake looked toward the sound of action, distracting her from the girl below her and Ilia used the distraction to kick Blake off of her, she impacted a chair and was knocked out. Carmine ran over and slid to her side, he shook her lightly "Blake! Come on baby, come back to me." He said as he tried to wake her up, Laurel and Regalia leaped from the second floor, running over to where Carmine was. Verde raised his LMG at Ilia "Oh, you aren't going anywhere! If she doesn't wake up, I'm sure Carmine will want to have a few words with you, seeing as how the White Fang killed his whole family and fiance, Sapphire." Verde said with venom on his tongue, Ilia's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. Fennec came through the hole behind Ghira and stabbed him in the back with his dagger, Ghira dropped to his knees and grabbed Fennec by the wrist, throwing him across the room.

Corsac charged at Ghira with a dagger but was sideswiped by Laurel, who tackled him to the ground and started punching him repeatedly. Corsac pushed Laurel off of him, causing him to stumble backwards into Carmine's arms "How's Blake?" Laurel asked as he stood up straight, Carmine pointed backwards to where Blake was sitting in a chair, still unconscious with Regalia kneeling next to her "Regalia's taking care of her." Carmine said as he cracked his knuckles, Fennec pushed himself off of the ground and looked over at Ilia "Ilia! What are you doing?! Fight!" Fennec yelled as he charged at Ghira but was slammed to the ground by Carmine who rammed him with his shoulder.

The main door slammed open, Celadon walked in with Kali behind him. She was dragging a scruffy looking man with bat wings on his back, his hands were tied together behind his back "I knocked this fucker out when he was trying to suffocate a guard, the guard fine by the way." Celadon said as he rested his G36C on his shoulder, he looked over at the fighting and sighed "You guys started without me?!" He said as he placed his rifle on his back, he looked back at Kali "You got him covered?" He asked, she smiled and nodded her head "Yeah, you go have fun with your friends." Kali said as she placed her hands together, Celadon jogged over to the rest of his team. Kali looked down at the unconscious man with a stern look on her face, the man started to stir slightly which startled Kali and caused her to kick him in the face.

Carmine stood up and backed away from Fennec who was joined by his brother, Corsac. Ghira moved over to where his wife was standing, guarding her from injury and danger, Carmine looked at the Albain brothers "Alright fuckboys, we're gonna do this the old fashion way, hand to hand. No guns, blades, or explosives, just our fists." Carmine said as he stretched his arms and legs, the Albain brothers threw down their daggers, the blades dug into the wooden floor. "Your turn, disarm yourselves." Fennec said as he lowered himself to the ground, Carmine shook his head "We're men of our word, we say we won't use weapons then we won't use weapons. You however have shown yourselves to be untrustworthy, so we won't use weapons but will keep them on as a precaution." Carmine explained, Corsac growled in anger.

Laurel looked over at Carmine "We doing this like back at Beacon?" Laurel asked as he cracked his knuckles, Celadon limbered up and readied himself. Carmine looked over at Laurel "You fucking know it!" Carmine said with a grin, Corsac looked over at the hole in the wall and whistled. A somewhat stocky man ran in and stood next to Fennec "There, now it's even: three vs three." Corsac said as he pulled his robe off and threw it onto the ground. Carmine reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll once more, he flipped through it until he found the perfect fighting song. He tapped into the house's audio system, pressing play and allowing the music to play from every direction.

 **Dropkick Murphys – Shipping Up To Boston (Instrumental) (It sounds better without the lyrics.)**

Carmine, Celadon, and Laurel walked toward the opposing White Fang who charged at them, Laurel elbowed Corsac in the nose and followed it up with an uppercut to the chin, Carmine struck Fennec in the side of the head with his right foot. Carmine grabbed Fennec and tossed him across the room into a table, the table broke under the weight of the faunus.

Laurel charged at Corsac and drove his shoulder into the Faunus's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Celadon landed five punches into the insurgent's ribs, following it up with a thunderclap to his ears, disorienting him and causing him to stumble backwards. The insurgent caught himself against the wall and shook it off, the insurgent raised his fists and readied himself. He ran at Celadon and swung but Celadon ducked out of the way and grabbed the man, throwing him into a potted plant. The plant pot broke as it smashed against the wall, Celadon walked up toward the man but stopped when Fennec crashed into the wall, Fennec pushed himself out of the newly formed hole in the wall and ran back at Carmine who drew his fist back and drove it into Fennec's face, slamming him into the ground.

Corsac threw a flurry of kicks at Laurel who blocked all of them, countering him with a haymaker and a knee to the ribs. Amongst the commotion, Ilia leaped out of the crosshairs of Verde's LMG and attempted to run but was cornered by Sun who withdrew his staff "Don't you run." Sun said as he readied himself, she pulled out her sword and extended it. Blake sat up in her chair and rubbed her head, her eyes went wide when she saw Sun fighting Ilia "Don't hurt her!" Blake exclaimed as Sun and Ilia clashed weapons, the sparks flew as she blocked shots from his flintlocks that when connected formed his bo staff. The shots were so intense, they forced Ilia to drop her sword and gave Sun an opening, he pushed her against a pillar and eventually causing it to crack.

Blake sat up more "Stop!" She exclaimed, both Ilia and Sun looked over at Blake who had tears running down her cheeks "Please…" Blake said quietly in tears, Ilia managed to push Sun away and caused them both to fall to the ground, the pillar started to crack even more. Sun scrambled out of the way as the balcony started to fall but Ghira ran in and caught the balcony, holding it up "Go!" Ghira said as he struggled to hold up the balcony, Ilia stared up in awe as the behemoth of a man held up the balcony, she moved out of the way as the weight of the balcony forced Ghira down to one knee. Fennec was thrown back into the middle of the room by Carmine, he looked over and saw a trapped Ghira, Fennec stood up and ran at Ghira with both of the daggers in his hands. Blake saw him and stood up, pulling out her sword and threw it, wrapping the ribbon around Ghira's torso and pulling him from underneath the balcony. Fennec fell to the ground under the falling balcony and was crushed, the dust in the weapons exploded and destroyed the area.

Burning chunks of wood clattered to the ground, Laurel picked Corsac up by his shirt collar and threw him into the middle of the room where Carmine caught him and kneed him in the back, shoving him back toward Laurel who hit him with an outside crescent kick following it up with a back kick that knocked him to the ground, he cradled his chest as he rolled over and picked himself off of the ground. He coughed up blood, wiping some of the blood from his lip and cheek, he tried to stand up but fell back to the ground. Laurel and Carmine high fived each other as they walked to the middle of the room, Celadon dragged the insurgent to the middle of the room and head-butted him, knocking him out.

 **Song end (in case you were listening as you read**

Blake stood up and ran to her mom, hugging her "I'm glad you're safe." Blake said as she started to cry, Regalia walked over to Ghira and channeled her semblance into her hand as it hovered over the wound on his back. As her hand glowed, the wound slowly closed up and healed over "There you go, all good." Regalia said with a happy smile.

As everyone collected together in the middle of the room, Corsac pushed himself off of the ground once more "What have you done? You ruined everything. EVERYTHIIIIIIING!" Corsac yelled as he ran at the happy group of people, Carmine pulled out his rifle and took aim at Corsac but Ilia stood up and wrapped her blade around the angry faunus, releasing an electric shock into his body and dropped him to the ground. Ilia fell to her knees and started to cry, Carmine lowered his rifle and exhaled a sigh of relief as Celadon and Laurel ran to secure Corsac, they zip-tied his hands together and lifted him off of the ground.

Carmine led everyone out of the now burning building, a guard was out front keeping the crowd at bay "Get back! Everyone get back! We've people inside doing their best." A guard said as he pushed everyone backwards, the crowd roared with chatter and noise until someone spoke up loud "Look, someone is coming out!" A woman said as Carmine emerged from the smoke with his team, the Belladonna's and Ilia, Laurel dragged Corsac out onto the grass where the head guard took him "And Fennec?" The guard asked looking up at Ghira but Ghira just shook his head, the guard got down on one knee and looked Corsac in the eyes "Was it worth it?" He asked the White Fang member snarkily, Corsac dropped his head in defeat. Blake shared a look of relief with Carmine, Sun, and Ilia before she walked up to the crowd.

Carmine nudged Celadon with his elbow "Get your scroll out and record this." Carmine said as he pulled out his scroll and turned on the camera, Celadon handed his scroll to Sun and pointed to a tree "You think you could video this from that tree?" Celadon asked the blonde haired man, Sun took his scroll and sprinted toward the tree, leaping up onto a branch where he turned on the camera as Blake started to speak.

"Humans didn't do this. We did this: Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us?! By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't. But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to." Blake spoke with a fiery passion in her words, Carmine walked forward and stood next to Blake.

Carmine looked over the crowd and began to speak to a crowd of faunus.

"We shall go our way into battle. And we shall be accompanied by the spirit of millions of our martyrs, our ancestors tortured and burned for their faith, our murdered fathers and butchered mothers, our murdered brothers and strangled children. And in this battle we shall break the enemy and bring salvation to our people, tried in the furnace of persecution, thirsting only for freedom, for righteousness, and for justice."

"To those who can hear me I say: do not despair! The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass. And dictators die. And the power they took from the people, will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish."

"Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes! Men who despise you and enslave you! Who regiment your lines and tell you what to do, what to think, what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men! Machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate. Only the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural."

"Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty! In the 17th chapter of St. Luke it is written, the kingdom of God is within man. Not one man, nor a group of men but in all men. In you! You the people have the power! The power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful! To make this life a wonderful adventure! Then in the name of democracy let us use that power! Let us all unite!"

Carmine shouted with a raised fist in the air, the crowd followed suit and raised their fist. Carmine looked over the crowd and watched as they all showed their support "Viva La Revolucion!" Carmine shouted with his fist still raised, the crowd roared with cheers and revolution chants. Sun leaped through the air and landed by Celadon, handing the phone back to the sniper "Man, you have to upload that as soon as possible" Sun said with a smile, Celadon just stared at him in disbelief "Yeah, and how exactly will I do that with the whole dragon destroying the fucking tower." Celadon said with a sarcastic tone in his voice, the realization hit Sun like a freight train "Oh fuck! I totally forgot about that!" Sun exclaimed.

Blake stepped forward once again and began to speak "Now my brothers and sisters, who will join me and protect Haven Academy from Adam and his goons!?" Blake asked the crowd, multiple people stepped forward and announced their allegiance to the resistance, Ilia stepped up to Blake "I'll stand with you!" Ilia said, which grabbed Blake's attention. Blake turned around and looked at Ilia who started to stutter slightly "If… if you'd have me." Ilia said as she looked down at the ground, Blake smiled at her but was shocked when the head guard grabbed Ilia by the arm "You're not going anywhere!" The guard said as he started to pull Ilia away from Blake but stopped when Blake spoke up "Let her come, Saber." Blake said, Saber turned to face Blake "Huh? You're just going to forgive her? After everything she did?!" Saber asked confused.

"I am." Blake said with a smile, Saber looked over at Ghira who nodded in approval. Saber let go of Ilia and she rejoined her friend at the foot of the steps. "What does she think she's doing?" Saber asked as he stood next to Ghira, Ghira chuckled lightly "She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older: That there is strength in forgiveness." Ghira said as he watched his daughter who was standing with her friends and her boyfriend. Ghira descended the stairs to join Carmine and his daughter "Looks like we've got work to do." Carmine said as he looked at the crowd of makeshift militants, Blake looked up at the rifleman "Thank you for everything you've done, if it weren't for you the White Fang would have succeeded in their plans." Blake said as she rested her head on Carmine's arm, Sun glared at Ilia "You stabbed me." He said as he squinted his eyes, she lowered her head "I know and I'm s… Ow!" She exclaimed as Sun pinched her on the arm "There, consider us even." He said with a goofy smile on his face, Ilia rubbed her arm as Ghira spoke up "We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven. We're going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible." Ghria said as he stroked his goatee, Carmine raised his hand "I think I can help with that, Ironwood still owes me a favor or two, I lost count of how many favors he owes me." Carmine said as he pulled out his scroll.

"So we're gonna need some AKs, Kevlar, couple tanks, some jeeps, miniguns, jet patrol." Carmine said out loud as he typed up a list on his scroll. He pulled up a number pad and typed in a few numbers into his scroll, minutes later his airship flew down from above the clouds and landed in a clearing by the Belladonna house. Carmine walked over to Ghira and extended his hand "We're going to fly over to Atlas and procure a couple shipments of weapons and armaments for Haven academy, I'll have some airships sent here to pick up the troops" Carmine said as he shook Ghira's hand, Ghira grabbed him by the shoulder "Fly safe and may your bullets always fly straight and true." Ghira said, blessing Carmine's journey. Blake, Ilia, and Wolf Pack made their way onto the airship, Carmine opened the door and entered the main control room.

He stepped behind the control panel and started flipping switches, the main engines kicked on and pushed the airship from the ground and into the air, the airship broke through the clouds before leveling out. Carmine pulled up a projected map of Remnant, he zoomed in on Atlas and set a waypoint to Atlas Military Compound, activating a digital tracker onto the window that displayed the guidance system. Carmine steered the airship toward the digital beacon, setting the controls to autopilot and kicking back into the main chair, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes for the rest of the journey. Blake rested her head on Carmine's shoulder as she sat next to him, the rest of the team sat in the back manning the consoles, observing the radar and radio feed.

After flying for an hour, the airship closed in on the Atlas ports and flew past a few towers. The side guns moved side to side as they scanned for a target, the ship flew in between two buildings and circled back around before landing by an airstrip where an F-117 Nighthawk was taxing onto the runway. A man holding neon orange sticks directed the bomber down the runway where it picked up speed and shot up into the sky, banking right and shooting toward the south. Carmine walked over to the man with the sticks "Sir, what airbase is this and where was that bomber heading?" Carmine asked the man who was wearing a black helmet with a reflective visor on it.

The man pushed the visor up "This is Airbase Viper and the bomber is on a routine training mission, it'll be back in an hour." The man said as he made his way over to the hanger but Carmine stopped him one last time "I'm looking for Ironwood, you know where he is?" Carmine asked as a gust a sharp wind blew through the area, the airman pulled out his scroll and opened a map "So he will most likely be found here at this airbase, I'll transfer the location to your scroll." The airman said as he transferred the location to Carmine's scroll, the indicator showed a base that was fifteen miles away, Carmine jogged back to the airship and restarted the engines.

The airship took off back into the sky, it rocketed over the land below and passed a few hills and peaks. After passing over a mountain ridge, the airship came upon a large military base that had multiple runways running each way, a couple F-18's flew up from several runways and took off toward some unknown destination. Carmine landed the airship on a landing pad by a rather large building, Carmine walked out onto the deck of the airship. Blake walked up beside him and looked up into the sky, a gust of wind blew through the area and caused her hair to fly in the wind, Laurel, Celadon, Verde, Sun, Ilia, and Regalia walked up behind them "What's the holdup?" Laurel asked as he scratched the side of his head.

Carmine simply gestured everyone forward as he started walking toward a rather large building, Celadon had to shield his eyes as the sun reflected off of the windows, Carmine opened the door and guided everyone inside the building. Everyone entered the main lobby of the Atlas command center, a woman behind the desk greeted them "Welcome to Airbase Atlas Alpha, how can I be of service?" The woman asked as she looked up from her computer, Carmine walked up and pulled his mask off, hooking it onto his belt "Yeah, we need to speak to Ironwood as soon as possible." Carmine said as he rested his head on his arms on the counter, looking into her eyes with a smile. She fumbled around with the keyboard while stuttering "Oh uh… uh… he seems to be in a meeting right now." She said, looking up at Carmine and brushing the hair out of her face. Carmine scratched his chin "You think I can get that room number?" He asked with a smile, she scribbled down some numbers on a sticky note.

Carmine took the note from her and bowed his head in thanks, he looked down at the paper and read it out loud as he started to walk down a hall "Alright he is in room 12 and 9674…" Carmine stopped in the middle of his sentence, balling up the paper and handing it to Celadon "Destroy this." Carmine said with a straight face, Blake peaked over his shoulder "What is it?" She asked curiously, Carmine raised his hands and stuttered a bit "Oh it – it's nothing… nothing at all." Carmine said, Ilia snuck up behind Celadon and grabbed the paper, tossing it to Blake. She grabbed it and unfolded it, reading it to herself "Oh really, can you keep it in your pants?" Blake asked with an eye-roll and a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing herself up against his body.

She shot a look of death toward the secretary, mouthing 'He's taken.' She released him and let him guide them to the meeting room, Carmine walked up to the double doors and kicked them open, he walked in and pointed at Ironwood "Alright, shit is about to hit the fan." Carmine said as he sat down in a chair, Ironwood was silent as the other men in suits stared at Carmine in awe. "Sir, we are in a meeting!" An old man in a black suit yelled as he slammed his fist onto the table, Carmine sat up in the chair and placed his hands on the table "Sir, I don't think you understand. Shit. Is. About. To. Get. Real!" Carmine said as he stood up.

"Gentlemen, we'll talk later." Ironwood said as he dismissed the old suits, they left the room muttering to themselves. Laurel closed the door behind them, Ironwood took a sip from a glass of whiskey "So, what can I do for you?" Ironwood asked, Carmine pulled out his scroll and projected a memo from a White Fang document "There is an attack that is will be carried out against Haven Academy, unless we do something. We need to set up defenses for Haven academy." Carmine said, Ironwood rubbed his neck in thought and released a long sigh "The Atlas military is at your disposal, once again." Ironwood said as he reactivated the ordinance request system for Carmine's scroll, a blue crate with a parachute popped up on his scroll's screen.

Carmine tapped on the crate and it exploded in digital confetti, he scrolled through the different categories of vehicles and weapons available to be ordered. Ironwood cleared his throat to get everyone's attention "Is there anything else you need to talk about?" Ironwood asked as he took a sip of his drink, Celadon pulled out his scroll and brought up the video that Sun recorded back at Menagerie. "Can you see about broadcasting this throughout Atlas? This is a moving speech that Carmine delivered to rally the civilians at Menagerie." Celadon said as he transferred a copy of the video to Ironwood's computer, Ironwood watched the video with deep intrigue. He closed the laptop and smiled "Well, that was a motivational speech." Ironwood said as he stood up from his chair.

Ironwood pulled down a map of Haven Academy "So where did you want to set up your defenses this time?" Ironwood asked, Carmine walked over map and started marking down X's on spots around Haven "Alright so I'm thinking, since Haven is bigger than Beacon, eight Strela-10's, three Challenger 2 tanks, three T-90's, and Three M1A2 Abrams tanks, an AC-130, four KA-52 Alligators, three Predator C Avengers with GBU – 24's, and lastly send four Bullheads to Menagerie to pick up the troops I rallied to fight with us, pack the Bullheads with crates of Armor, Weapons, Ammo, and supplies cause they will need that shit." Carmine said as he made his list, Verde was speechless "Do you expect that much of a fight from the White Fang?" Verde asked as he leaned against the wall, Carmine turned toward the heavy gunner "I expect them to put up a fight, but I'm not gonna let another school fall to these terrorists." Carmine said, he clenched his fist when he remembered Penny and Pyrrha "I'll make them pay for what they did, I'll rip them apart even if it kills me." Carmine said in a low voice as he looked toward the ground.

Ironwood cleared his throat "Your requisition order has been granted and everything is being mobilized as we speak, expect things to be there by the end of the day." Ironwood said as he stepped in front of Carmine, the rifleman looked up and gave Ironwood a salute to which his team followed suit, Ironwood saluted them back "Good luck and stay alive, Carmine. Your brother would be proud of you for everything you've done." Ironwood said solemnly, Carmine closed his eyes and lowered his head "Thank You, Ironwood. For everything." Carmine said, shaking Ironwood's hand before he left the room with his team, lover, and her friend. They made their way back to the airship and boarded it, Carmine took a position at the command console "Where to now? Haven? Menagerie?" Laurel asked as he activated the airship's weapon's system, the computer flickered to life and displayed the system status of all the guns.

Carmine shook his head "No, Vale. I got to pay a visit to some people." Carmine said as he pushed the throttle forward, the ship took off into the sky and screamed through the clouds as it raced toward Vale. Carmine looked down at the ship's gauge and took in all the information on the screen, "We're going about 157 mph, so we should touch down in a matter of minutes." Carmine said as he leaned back in his chair, after ten minutes of flying he started to close his eyes but shot awake when the alarms blared and red lights flashed. "Missile Lock! Missile Lock!" Celadon yelled as he read the screen, Carmine grabbed the wheel and yanked it left, the missile just barely missed them as it shot past them and hit a passing bird.

Two more missiles raced toward them, Carmine activated the ship's countermeasure system in hopes of surviving the barrage, flares shot out of the back and sides of the ship into the air. The missiles took the bait and exploded on impact with the flares, Carmine grabbed the radio handset and yelled into it "Beacon Air Defense stand down! This is Carmine Sable of the Wolf Pack, stand the fuck down!" Carmine said, after a few seconds the Alarms fell silent and a female voice came through the intercom "Sorry about that Wolf Pack, things have been quiet lately. You have clearance to land." The woman said, Carmine hung the handset up and lowered his head "Oh fuck that was too close!" Carmine said as he exhaled a sigh of relief, he stood back up and took control of the airship again.

The airship landed at the airdocks of Vale, the burnt out husk of a jeep sat in the corner filled with four charred skeletons "Huh, not much has changed since we were here last." Laurel said as he stepped out onto the main deck, a few civilians ran from alleyway to alleyway to avoid being seen by anyone. Carmine walked down the ramp to the brick walkway below, he pulled out his SCAR-H and scanned the area around them "Clear." He said as he stood back up, Laurel, Celadon, Regalia, Verde, Sun, Blake, and Ilia made their way off of the airship and regrouped with Carmine. He pulled out his scroll and typed in a few numbers, the airship took off into the sky where it slowly circled the area "Alright, follow me." Carmine said as he started walking down the road.

Carmine raised his rifle as he moved down an alley, Laurel and Celadon followed behind him with their weapons drawn "So what are you looking for?" Regalia asked as she walked behind Celadon, Carmine looked back at Regalia "I'm looking for the shop that supplied us with our gear." Carmine said as he walked backwards down the alley, Laurel grabbed him by his IBA and yanked him back towards the group "What is it?" Carmine asked as he adjusted his IBA, Laurel pointed at an object in front of the opening to the alley "You almost hit that." Laurel said, everyone peaked over their shoulders "What is it?" Blake asked as she looked at the object, Carmine knelt down and attached his gas mask, pulling his hood over his head "That is an M18A1 claymore, you hit that wire and thousand steel balls will shred us to pieces." Carmine said as he backed everyone up out of the alley, Celadon guided every to the cover of a wall.

"Is everyone safe?" Carmine asked as he looked back, Celadon raised up his hand and gave a thumbs up signaling that everyone was safe. Carmine reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out a hand grenade, he pulled the pin and tossed it down the alley. It rolled and bounced along the bricks before it exploded, Carmine dove behind cover as the claymore exploded and sent steel balls shooting in every direction.

Carmine stood up and dusted himself off as he walked around the corner to examine if the coast was clear, chunks of brick and metal were scattered all over the ground along with a few dented steel balls. Carmine pressed his throat radio and spoke into the mic "It's all clear, come on through." Carmine said, there was a little feedback as Regalia's voice came through "Roger." She said as she and the others came into the alley "Wow, this is insane. I can only imagine if someone got caught in one of these." Ilia said as she looked at the destruction, Carmine nodded his head in agreement as he guided them out of the alley and into a market area. "Some people in this town weren't as lucky as us, some didn't make it out when the White Fang attacked." Carmine said as he walked up to black steel door, he banged on it four times and after a few seconds an eye slit opened up "State your business." A raspy voice asked, Carmine pulled off his dogtags and showed them to the person behind the door "Now, can you stop aiming your shotgun at my junk?" Carmine asked with a chuckle.

There were a few clicks as the door was unlocked, a frail-looking man came out of the door and hugged Carmine "Carey, my boy! You're alive!" The man said as he started to cry a bit, Carmine patted him on the back "It's good to see you too, sir." Carmine said as he hugged the man back, the old man gestured everyone inside. Verde closed the door behind them and sat his gun against the wall "It is so good to see you again, after everything you've been through I'm glad to see you still have the fight in you. So, who are your friends?" The old man asked, Carmine faced his friends and team, introducing them "This is Laurel, Celadon, Regalia, Sun, Verde, Ilia, and this is my girlfriend, Blake." Carmine said as each of them nodded their head or saluted "Everyone, this is Larama Zaffre, Sapphire's father." Carmine said, everyone was shocked but greeted the man.

The old man walked behind the counter "So what can I do for you, my boy?" Larama asked, Carmine rested his arms on the counter and put his hands together "You think you could commission another dog tag and KA-Bar set for my new team? Like the last ones you made." Carmine asked, the old man walked over to a closet and opened the door, pulling out a briefcase which he placed on the counter. "Like this?" He asked as he opened the lid, revealing six knives and six dog tags inside the case. "Those are perfect." Carmine said, Larama chuckled "You always did love my handiwork, I'll get these fixed up for you. If you five can sign your names, blood type, and position or role." Larama said, one by one the members of Wolf Pack wrote down their information on the paper. Carmine wrote down on a piece of paper and handed it to Larama who read the paper "Anything for you, my boy. While I work on these, I think you should pay her a visit." Larama said, Carmine nodded his head and made his way to the door, leading everyone outside into the square.

"So that was your fiance's father? He's a nice man." Regalia said as they walked down the street, Carmine remained silent as they continued to walk, the sky seemed to darken as they neared a gothic looking area. They came up to a steel gate that was locked shut, Carmine grabbed the padlock and cupped it in his hand, blowing it open with a small supernova blast. The lock clattered to the ground as the gate swung open to reveal rows of headstones, Carmine walked into the cemetery and passed headstone after headstone until he came to one with withered roses all around it, Carmine fell to his knees and pulled off his gas mask, placing it in the soft grass by the headstone.

Carmine started to speak to nobody in particular "Hey Sapphire, I hope you're well up there with my brothers keeping you company, I've been really busy lately. I guess you probably saw that I found someone new, well I found two people new and please hit Crimson for that gesture I know he just made. One of them is with me today and she has been a blessing for me during such a rough time, I know you and her would get along nicely. I've got a big battle coming up so please watch over us, I'd really appreciate it. I love you, Sapphire." Carmine said as he kissed her headstone, he felt a warm embrace surround him and hold him tightly, he started to cry as he felt another embrace from Blake "I love you, Carmine." Blake said as she held him tightly, he placed his hand on her arm that was draped over his shoulder.

Celadon helped him stand up as Ilia held Blake in her arms, Carmine dusted his pants off and stood up straight "Alright, just a few more stops and we'll be ready to head back to the shop." Carmine said as he led them to another part of the cemetery, he pushed open the gate to reveal the headstones of fallen war heroes and those who sacrificed themselves, he walked up to five black pillars and presented them "Celadon, Laurel, Regalia, Sun, and Verde: This is Crimson, Grullo, Keppel, Nightshade, and Onyx. These are the founding members of Wolf Pack and my brothers." Carmine said, the new members knelt down before the headstones and seemed to say in unison "It is an honor to be a Wolf!" They said with a hand across their chest, Carmine stared in awe "Huh, wasn't expecting that. Anyways, brothers please watch over us as we go to war with the white fang." Carmine said as he slammed his fist into his chest.

After the makeshift ceremony was completed, they made their way back to the shop but found the door wide open "No… No no no no!" Carmine yelled as he sprinted toward the shop with his rifle drawn, two White Fang militants were sprawled out on the ground in front of the counter. "Verde, watch the alley, Sun and Ilia, the door. Everyone else, with me." Carmine said as he entered the back of the shop where another White Fang laid dead with his head missing, Carmine came up to a supply closet that was shut. He tried the door but it was locked, he knocked on it "Larama, it's Carmine. They're all dead, you're safe now." Carmine said, the door unlocked and slowly opened, Larama walked out with a briefcase in his which he handed to Carmine "They knocked on my door ten minutes after you left so I figure they were trailing you, Carey. I shot one of them and killed him, his gun went off and killed the other, the leader chased me but I blew his head off." Larama said, shaking his head as Carmine opened the case "All six tags are there just like you asked." Larama said with a smile, Carmine closed the case and held a single tag in his hand.

He turned to Blake "Blake, I wanted to get you something like this for a while now." He said as he handed her the tag that said 'Blake x Carmine x Weiss 3' She put it around her neck and let it fall onto her chest "I love it, thank you Carmine. I'm the luckiest girl in the world." She said as she hugged her boyfriend, pulling off his gas mask and kissing him. Carmine shook Larama's hand while Blake held onto him "Thank you for everything, Larama. Until next time, oh and when I stop in again, I'll install some forced entry explosive charges." Carmine said as they started to exit the back room, Larama waved to them as they left his shop.

They walked out of the alley and towards the airdocks where the airship came down and landed, a few white fang bodies laid scattered around the area, fresh blood leaked from their still warm bodies. The walkway extended and allowed them to board the airship, Carmine and company entered the main bridge where he took control of the airship and flew it up into the clouds "Alright, next stop: Haven but first this." Carmine said as he put the ship in autopilot and walked over to the counter, he placed the briefcase onto the counter and opened it up "Your dog tags and knives" He said as he handed them out, every member of Wolf Pack took their tags and placed them around their necks, they put their knives wherever was most comfortable.

Carmine walked back over to the control panel and regained control of the airship, pushing the steering wheel down and caused the airship to descend from the white clouds. As they flew, the sight of Haven came into view and so did the number of armored defenses, Tanks and APCs roamed the area as did helicopters, drones, and an AC-130 "How long can those stay in the air?" Laurel asked as they flew under the AC-130 "Well, they run on dust and a single crystal can last upward of twelve hours so a pretty fucking long time." He said as they landed next to a large building, they exited the ship and it took off into the sky where it circled like the AC-130.

As Carmine looked up, Laurel was alerted by the sound of fighting coming from the building "Sir, we got a situation." Laurel said as he pulled out his shotgun, everyone followed suit as Carmine walked over to the door and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge "Fuck! It's jammed." Carmine said as he took his pack off and unzipped it, he dug through it until he came upon a long thin box, he looked up "Laurel, what is that door made of?" He asked, Laurel felt it with his hand "Metal." Laurel said as Carmine stood up and walked over to the door, placing two black panels on the door and crossing the wires with each other.

"What is that?" Laurel asked as Carmine walked past him "X-32 Thermite Charges, When you mix fuel, metal oxide and metal powder in just the right way, it burns at 2000 degrees Celsius. Hot enough to cut through nearly any barrier known to man. Throw some C4 into the mix, and you've got one hell of a combination." Carmine explained as he turned around, he raised the detonator "A really big fucking hole coming right up." Carmine said as he pressed the detonator, the charges lit up and cut through the metal, they exploded and blew the door in. Carmine and Company ran in and saw all his friends fighting all his enemies "Talk about a fucking reunion." Carmine said as he saw Cinder holding a spear in her hand, Jaune was on his knees in front of her.

Carmine grabbed his rifle and raised it, as he started to fire at Cinder she threw the spear and watched as it hit Weiss, the spear pierced the right side of her abdomen and suddenly Carmine was filled with every ounce of rage in his body. "WEISS!" Carmine yelled out as he watched her fall to her knees, he moved his attention to Cinder while signaling Regalia and Laurel to retrieve Weiss. He ran at Cinder while dodging her attacks and grabbed her by the throat "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Carmine yelled in a loud, almost demonic voice that shook the room, forcing Cinder to her knees. He picked her up and threw her across the room, he came face to face with Mercury who had a scar running along the left side of his face "Well well, if this isn't a big fucking family reunion, you want a rematch?" Carmine asked as he cocked his rifle, ejecting a spent round from the gun.

 **(A/N: I had to stop myself from writing more, I hope you enjoyed it and have a great new year. I'm starting back to classes soon so new chapters won't be as frequent, thank you to everyone who likes this. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4 signing off.)**


	15. Chapter 15: The Maiden Voyage

Chapter 15: The Maiden Voyage

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review.**

Emerald walked up and stood next to Mercury, wielding her twin revolvers with one of the blades extended and pointed toward the ground. Carmine looked over to the corner where Weiss was laying on the ground, Regalia and Jaune were knelt over her with their hands extended as she seemed to be glowing purple and white "Come on, baby. Pull through." Carmine said to himself, Mercury ran forward and threw a roundhouse kick into Carmine's side while he was distracted. Carmine refocused and charged at Mercury, driving his elbow into Mercury's chest following it up by driving the back of his fist into Mercury's face. Carmine reached back and wrapped his hands around the back of Mercury's neck, flipping him over and slamming him into the ground then driving down his foot into Mercury's gut.

Mercury spat up blood as Carmine reached down and grabbed him by the jacket, yanking him up to his feet and headbutting him in the nose. Carmine pushed Mercury away and let him stumble backwards while he loosened up his leg "Sorry to do this but I have to incapacitate you." Carmine said as he got a running start and drove his boot right into Mercury's nards, the silver haired man dropped to his knees and collapsed onto the floor in the feedle position. Carmine stood up and picked up his rifle, placing it on his back before turning around to assess the situation, a large man with burly arms walked over and kicked Oscar across the room before he reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out to yellow dust crystal, stabbing them into his arms.

The man let out a roar as the electricity coursed through his body, the electricity crackled and popped as it formed arcs around his forearms, shoulders, and his wrists. Qrow crossed his blade with Raven's as they fought each other, Oscar clattered across the ground and into a wall. Carmine looked to his left and saw Ruby unconscious on the ground while Yang traded blows with Emerald by the staircase, Emerald kneed Yang in the gut and knocked her to the ground "You chose the wrong side, honey." Emerald said as she stood over Yang, Yang laughed a little "Funny, I was gonna say the same thing to you. Honey." Yang said as she sat up, Emerald drew back her leg but was stopped when Celadon ran up and threw a superman punch into her face, Emerald fell to the ground and was knocked unconscious. Celadon shook his fist as he walked over to Yang, he extended his hand and pulled her to her feet "Thanks, Celery." She said with a smile, he sighed and rolled his eyes "Please don't call me that." Celadon said as he rolled his shoulder.

Carmine turned around and saw the large man walking toward Oscar "Tell him Ozpin, tell him how you killed her!" The man yelled, Carmine looked at Oscar as he talked to Ozpin "Did she know?" Oscar asked the man, causing the man to stop in his place at the question "Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?" Oscar asked again while wielding Ozpin's cane, the man growled "She was only a child! She wasn't ready!" The large man yelled, Oscar raised his cane up defensively "She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself! And so do I." Oscar said as he readied himself for combat, the man narrowed his eyes "Then you've chosen death!" The man said.

Carmine coughed to get his attention "Mind if I get in on this battle royale?" Carmine asked as he walked toward the large man, the man turned to face him "And who are you?" The man asked, Carmine adjusted his gloves and sleeves "The name is Carmine Sable of Wolf Pack, you may know me as Titan. Who are you?" Carmine asked as he stared at the man, the man growled "Hazel. Rainart." The man said as he cracked his knuckles, Carmine rolled his shoulders and neck as he got ready to fight. Qrow used the distraction to get Oscar out of the way "Let go of me!" Oscar said in protest as Qrow carried him away, Qrow sat him down and withdrew his scythe to defend Oscar. Oscar's eyes went wide when Ozpin delivered an important message "Carmine! His semblance makes it so he doesn't feel pain." Oscar said, Carmine raised his hand and gave him a thumbs up.

Ren walked over and stood next to Carmine, his pistols in hand and anger on his face "Weiss is gonna be alright, Regalia and Jaune got her stable." Ren said as he stared Hazel down, the sound of gunfire echoed outside the building as explosives detonated everywhere. The sound of intercom chatter could be heard coming from Carmine's earpiece "Sounds bad." Ren said, Carmine chuckled lightly "They're just confirming White Fang presence and engaging their targets, I'll let you know if it gets bad." Carmine said as he clenched his fist, Hazel let out a roar as he charged at Carmine and Ren. Ren leaped out of the way as Carmine charged at Hazel, driving his shoulder into Hazel's gut and pushed him back to the ground. Carmine drove his knee down into Hazel's chest and started driving his fists down into Hazel's chest but Hazel reached up and back handed Carmine, sending him crashing across the floor. Hazel pushed himself off of the floor, brushing himself off "Is that the best you got?" He asked but was cut off by Ren who unleashed a flurry of strikes to Hazel's back.

Hazel spun around and grabbed Ren by the neck, throwing him into a wall which he followed up with a bolt of electricity from his dust filled arm, the lightning struck Ren and electrocuted him, causing him to scream out in agony. "Ren!" Nora yelled as she stood guard in front of Regalia, Jaune, and Weiss. Jaune looked up "Go! We got her!" Jaune said as he held his hands over Weiss's torso, his hands were glowing white while Regalia's were glowing purple. Nora nodded and sprinted toward Hazel, unleashing a battle cry and leaped into the air, swinging her hammer downward but Hazel caught it and slammed her into the ground. He reached down and picked her up by the head, unleashing electricity into her head "Nora!" Carmine yelled as he ran toward Hazel, Nora shot a smirk at Carmine as she reached up and grabbed Hazel by the wrist, she used the electricity to amplify her body and stood up, she flipped Hazel over and slammed him into the ground. She picked up her hammer and got ready, Ozpin took control of Oscar's body "His Semblance… he can block out pain. It's how he is able to handle injecting so much Dust into his body." Ozpin said, warning Nora but she grinned "I don't need him to hurt… I just need him to go down!" She said as Hazel ran at her, she drew her hammer back and slammed it right into Hazel's chest, the force sent him flying through the wall and into the outside area.

Hazel crashed and rolled across the ground, Carmine jogged over to the opening and saw Adam Taurus standing outside with some White Fang insurgents, Adam turned around "What's going on in there?" Adam asked Hazel as he picked himself up "None of your concern." The brute said as he brushed himself off "I wouldn't say that, I'd say that he just got his shit wrecked." Carmine said as he walked through the hole in the wall, Adam gritted his teeth "Titan!" Adam yelled in anger, Carmine put his hands on his hips "What's up, fuck face?" Carmine said, pissing off the White Fang leader. Taurus drew his sword and pointed it at Carmine "Are you ready to die, human scum?!" Adam yelled, Blake leaped up onto a roof of a building and looked down at him "Adam!" She yelled and got his attention, the other insurgents aimed their weapons at her but Adam made them stand down "To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me." Adam said as he looked up at Blake "It's over Adam, she has the high ground." Carmine said snickering to himself.

"This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop what you're doing and we can end this peacefully." Blake said as she stared at him, he laughed evilly "You're wrong, Blake, and you can't stop us." Adam said as he held his arms outward, she smirked "No, I can't. Not by myself." Blake said as the Wolf Pack walked up behind them "That's why we're here, fuck face." Laurel said as he cocked his shotgun, the insurgents pointed their weapons at the Wolf Pack, who pointed their weapons back at the White Fang. Laurel walked forward and rested the shotgun on his shoulder "But wait! There's more, for a limited time only you will get not one, not two, but three ass whoopings for the price of one!" Laurel shouted as the Menagerie Militia walked out of the forest followed by Mistral Police Airships, Adam growled and pulled out a detonator "Screw this!" Adam yelled as he pressed the button but nothing happened.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Carmine said as he pointed to the tower, Ilia walked out of the shadows and dropped a handful of wires to the ground. Adam looked back at Carmine as he adjusted his gas mask "Problem? You seem tense, need a back massage?" Carmine asked as he shifted his weight to his right leg, an insurgent raised his rifle toward Ilia as she stood on the roof. "Die, traitor." The insurgent yelled as he placed his finger on the trigger, Regalia leaped forward and placed her M9 to his head "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Regalia said as she cocked the hammer back, the insurgent lowered his rifle as she pistol whipped him unconscious. "It's all over, Adam. Just give up and turn yourself in." Blake said as she leaped down off of the roof, Carmine converted his Scar into its sword form as he watched Adam.

Adam drew his sword "Never, harlot!" Adam yelled as he charged toward Blake, Carmine leaped in front of Blake and blocked Adam's sword "You gotta be quicker than that." Carmine said as he elbowed Adam in the face, Adam stumbled backwards and held his face. Adam wiped the blood from his face as he readied his sword, Carmine taunted him as he spun his sword around "Let's dance, fucker." Carmine said as he lowered his body to the ground, Adam charged forward with the blade pointed toward Carmine's chest but he stepped out of the way of his katana, Carmine stomped his right foot twice, causing a blade to extend from the front of his boot. Carmine kicked Adam in the side and pierced his body, Adam grabbed his side in pain as he stumbled backwards "Make no mistake, brothers! These are our enemies! And we will not let them ruin our chance for vengeance!" Adam said as he preached to the White Fang insurgents.

The insurgents rallied as they raised their weapons towards the Menagerie Militia, a couple militants raised up their shields and created a phalanx of shields with rifle barrels sticking out of the openings of the wall, as the White Fang started firing at the militants. The Insurgents were shredded by a hail of gunfire by the Wolf Pack, a few insurgents collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood while the militants charged forward to secure the rest of them. A man with large wings on his back charged forward and slammed the shield into an Insurgent, knocking him to the ground and pointing a pistol at his head "Make my fucking day." The man said as he cocked the hammer back, the insurgent raised his hands in defeat as the gunfire stopped. Adam looked around as his vengeance quest was snuffed out, he sheathed his sword and sprinted into the forest, Sun pulled out his staff and ran towards the forest but Carmine stopped him "I got a better idea." Carmine said as he pulled out red canister.

Carmine pulled the pin and threw the canister into the forest, the canister flew through the air and bounced off a few trees before it started spitting out red smoke. Carmine turned to the militia and the Wolf Pack "Everyone! Down! Now!" Carmine yelled as he pulled Blake to the ground, the militia hit the ground as hell rained down from above. 105mm, 40mm, and 20mm rounds rained from the AC-130 that flew above Haven, the munitions hit the ground and destroyed the trees, bushes, and foliage. A 105mm shell hit a tree and blew it into splinters of burning wood that flew through the air, the fire support continued to rain down into the forest but eventually stopped. Carmine stood up and looked at the crater that once was part of a forest, smoke flowed from the crater and passed across the grounds of Haven.

"Well, you think he survived that?" Carmine asked as he picked Blake up off of the ground, she dusted herself off and looked at the Crater "Let's hope not." Blake said as she hugged Carmine, Carmine looked around at the carnage that was spread across Haven but was snapped out of it when he heard the sound of radio chatter, he walked over to a body and rolled it over, pulling a radio out the body's pocket. He turned the knob and clicked the radio on, a voice came through the speaker "Target designation set: FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" The voice yelled as artillery shells rained down from the sky, a shell hit a Mistral Air Ship and blew it up, the ship crashed into the ground and exploded into a ball of fire.

Shells continued to pepper the campus, a few shells hit a building and reduced it to rubble "Shit where is this coming from?!" Laurel yelled as he took cover behind a statue, Carmine pulled out his scroll and accessed the drone above. Carmine switched on the thermal and looked for a heat source, he flew the drone through the air as the shells stopped firing. The Reaper flew more than eight miles away before it found six M777 Howitzers, Carmine zoomed in and looked at the glowing figures as they reloaded the batteries. The rifleman accessed the weapons and deployed two GBU-24 bombs onto the battery site, the bombs hit and reduced the site to a smoking crater littered with heaps of twisted metal and charred corpses. Carmine stood up and disengaged from the drone, looking around Haven at the carnage "Man, this went to shit fast." Laurel said as he walked up to Carmine, Carmine stomped his foot twice and sheathed the knife back into his boot "You can say that again, bro." Carmine said as he stretched his arms.

The Wolf Pack's attention was brought back to a screaming Hazel who was fighting against the huntresses-in-training, Carmine looked to the rest of the Wolf Pack "Out of the frying pan and into the fire." Carmine said as he pulled out his Scar, everyone followed suit and withdrew their weapons as they ran toward the fighting. Mercury was back in action and drew his fist back to strike Ruby but Carmine intervened "Ding dong! It's the pain train!" Carmine yelled as he delivered a superman punch to the left side of Mercury's face, the silver haired man collapsed to the ground with a thud. Laurel sprinted toward Lionheart but he turned and ran away "Where you running, Leo? I just want to chat." Laurel said as he turned the corner and chased the headmaster into his office, Leo slammed the door and blocked it shut. Laurel pounded on the door "Come on, Leo! A house cat has more balls than you!" Laurel yelled as he kicked the door before turning to rejoin his team, he stopped when he swore he heard the sound of blood splashing onto the ground but shook it off.

Regalia grabbed Emerald by the wrist and tossed her into a pillar, while Carmine looked toward the hole in the ground "Go, Yang needs your help." Ruby said as she panted and tried to catch her breath, Laurel walked up behind him "Do it for Sapphire. Do it for your brothers. Do it for Remnant." Laurel said as he patted Carmine on the shoulder. Carmine nodded and sprinted toward the hole, leaping down into it and bouncing off of the walls before he reached the ground. As he landed, he saw Raven and Cinder fighting in an explosion of fire and ice, Carmine took a knee and pulled out his Scar. He swapped the regular magazine for a magazine of fire dust rounds, he pulled back the bolt and aimed down the sight towards Raven but he felt a nudge on his side, Carmine looked to his left and up where Yang was standing "Leave Raven to me." Yang said as she clenched her fist, she started to walk forward but Carmine stopped her and caused her to turn around as Carmine looked up at her "You know, I always saw you as the sister I never had. Be careful and come back to us, Blonde Fury." Carmine said with a chuckle, Yang gave him a smirk as she turned back to the fighting women.

Carmine adjusted his aim toward Cinder who landed on a boulder, her left arm turned black and shot toward Raven, it grabbed her by the throat and started to choke her out. "Not today, Cinder." Carmine said as he squeezed the trigger twice, two fire rounds hit the black arm and severed it from her body, the arm hit the ground and started to smoke black "She had a Grimm arm the whole time?" Carmine asked himself as he stood up and walked toward the Fall Maiden but his eyes focused on the body of Vernal who had sat up slightly and raised her weapon, she squeezed the trigger and shot Cinder in the back, completely breaking her aura. Carmine went from walking to jogging to sprinting as he ran toward Cinder and drove his shoulder into her abdomen, slamming her into a boulder. The fall maiden collapsed to the ground and struggled for air "Yeah, it's kind of hard to breathe when you got a few broken ribs. I don't think your aura can fix that." Carmine said as he paced back and forth in front of Cinder, she tried to push herself up but he placed his foot onto her back and slammed her back to the ground.

Carmine removed his foot and backed away from her, he stood next to Yang and watched as Raven picked Cinder up, she carried her over to the edge of the bridge and dangled her over the abyss. Raven placed her right hand onto Cinder's face and charged an electricity attack, detonating and destroying the black mask that hid the scarred part of Cinder's face.

"Enjoy total darkness, bitch." Raven said as she froze Cinder and dropped her into the abyss below, Carmine moved to the edge and watched as the Cinder-cicle disappeared into the dark below. He reached into the pouch on his side and pulled out two grenades, he pulled the pins and dropped them into abyss, after a couple of seconds they exploded into a brilliant flash of light and fire, a plume of smoke rose out of the hole. Carmine turned around and came face to face with Raven's sword "I told you that the next time we meet, only one of us would leave alive." Raven said as she placed the blade to his throat, Yang cleared her throat "You do it and I will kill you where you stand! He saved you." Yang said as her eyes turned red, Raven sighed and withdrew her sword, sheathing it.

Carmine slowly crept away from the edge of the bridge and walked over to Vernal, he placed two fingers onto her throat and felt for a pulse but found none. He reached up and closed her eyes, he looked up to the glowing doorway "Hey Yang, what's this?" He asked as he stood up and walked to the giant door, Yang stood next to him "I guess it's the relic." Yang said as she turned around "Qrow and Oz told me how the Maiden powers are transferred. The girl you found… she would've had to have trusted you if you were in her final thoughts - cared about you a lot." Yang said, shifting her weight to her left leg. Raven scoffed "I'm sure they told you plenty, and you just sat and obeyed. He obeyed because he's just a trained killer for the highest bidder but even trained killers have leashes." Raven said, Carmine placed his rifle onto his back as he turned around "Bold accusations from a bandit, I've killed plenty of bandits to know that all of them are all talk but then again, everyone turns into a beggar when looking down the barrel of a .45" Carmine said as he crossed his arms, Raven gritted her teeth in anger.

"No, I'm starting to ask questions like you said. So tell me... what happened to the last Spring Maiden? Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?" Yang asked, Carmine held up a finger "Wait, you mean 'Mom of the year' over there is the Spring Maiden?" Carmine asked confused, Raven shook her head "Fuck you too, Carmine." Raven said in distaste, Yang nodded her head "Yeah, so how about it, Mom of the year?" Yang asked sarcastically, "What does it matter to you?" Raven asked angrily, Yang's eyes widened "I can already see the answer. It's all over your face. How could you?!" Yang asked in anger

"She was scared when we found her! Weak. No matter how much training I put her through, she never learned! She wasn't cut out for this world! And with those powers, she would've been hunted her entire life! What I did…" Raven started to say but Yang cut her off "Wasn't personal." Yang said, finishing her sentence. "It was mercy!" Raven shouted as Carmine sat down on the ground by Yang "Which is it, mom? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me walk into that trap because you knew I could handle it, or because it meant you could get what you wanted?!" Yang asked angrily, Raven shook her head as she bit her lip in anger "It's not that simple. You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, the choices I've had to make!" Raven yelled back at Yang.

Yang chuckled a little "You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe! Did you kill her too?" Yang asked, Raven eyes went wide and she turned around shaking her head.

"I've stared death in the face over and over again! And every time I've spat in that face and survived, because I'm strong enough to do what others won't!" Raven yelled, Carmine sat up and looked at the maiden clad in red "Oh, shut up! You don't know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people, you run away when things get too hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself! You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong." Yang said as she clenched her fist in anger, Carmine laid back onto the ground and looked at the rocky roof above.

"Who do you think you are lecturing me?! Standing there, shaking like a scared little girl?!" Raven said as she shouted at her daughter, Carmine sat up and raised his hand but Yang stopped him "Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here! I'm not like you, I won't run, which is why you're going to give me the Relic." Yang said as she nudged Carmine, he nodded and stood up. Carmine walked toward the Relic door and began push it open.

"And why would I let that happen?" Raven asked as she placed a hand on her hip "Because you're afraid of Salem! And if you thought having Maiden powers put a target on your back, imagine what she'll do when she finds out you have a Relic. She'll come after you with everything she has. Or she can come after me. And I'll be standing there, waiting for her." Yang said as Carmine opened the door to the Relic, Raven narrowed her eyes "You don't want to do this, Yang." Raven warned her daughter but Yang rolled her eyes "Nope. But I'm gonna do it anyway." Yang said as she walked toward the Relic, Raven lifted her hand up but dropped it back down "I… I'm sorry." Raven said as she sliced open a portal and converted to her bird form, flying through the portal.

Yang stood in front of the Relic with tears streaming down her face "Yeah, me too." Yang said as she walked into the Relic chamber, Carmine followed her into the sand filled chamber. "So what exactly is this?" Carmine asked as he looked around the room, Yang walked up to the vase and lifted it up by the handle, Carmine looked at the canister "Well, let's bounce." Carmine said as he opened the backpack, Yang placed the vase into the bag and Carmine zipped it up. Carmine led Yang back to the elevator and Yang pressed the button on the floor, the elevator went upward and came up to the main floor. Carmine walked out with Yang and looked at Cinder's goons "Yeah, you can go sweep up your friend." Carmine said as he walked out, Mercury stood over Emerald who was on the ground sobbing "No, she'll come back to us." Emerald said, Carmine tilted his head "Aww, you actually cared about that sociopath?" Carmine asked sarcastically.

Emerald slammed her fist onto the floor, Mercury gritted his teeth "Emerald, we have to go now." Mercury said as he stared at Carmine, Emerald activated her semblance and flooded the room in darkness, a twenty story figure emerged from the smoke and slowly took form. Twisted arms pushed from the silhouette and developed fingers, a face emerged from the figure and opened its soulless eyes, it released an ear piercing shriek that knocked everyone to their knees. The darkness cleared and everyone stood back up "What the fuck was that thing?!" Carmine asked as he looked around, Ozpin pushed himself off of the ground "That… was Salem." Ozpin said as he helped Qrow up off the ground.

Carmine walked up to Ozpin and pulled out the Relic "This it?" Carmine asked the small headmaster, Ozpin took the Relic "Yes, this is the Relic of Knowledge." Ozpin said, Carmine tapped his foot "So have we won half the war? Because knowing is half the battle." Carmine asked, making a bad joke. Laurel booed from the balcony "Boo, tell a better one." Laurel said as he leaned against the rail, Carmine turned around and walked up to his team "So, how did the fighting go up here?" Carmine asked as he sat against the wall, Laurel leaped from the balcony and sat against Carmine "Well, we kind of just had a stand off with Hazel and Mercury while Emerald just cried like a bitch. Speaking of bitch, Lionheart locked himself in his office and you're our explosives specialist." Laurel explained, Carmine sighed and rested his head against the wall "Let me just rest for like five minutes." Carmine said as he closed his eyes but an explosion brought him back to reality "Oh god, what now?!" Carmine asked as he stood up and walked across the room.

Ghira and Kali walked into the ballroom, Blake ran up to them and embraced them "The police rounded up the remaining White Fang members. Haven is safe." Kali explained as Carmine walked up, Ghira sighed "Unfortunately, it appears that Adam escaped." Ghira explained, Carmine chuckled "Well, he might have gotten away but if he was in that forest when literal hell came down, then he might have eaten shit." Carmine explained as Blake rested her head on his shoulder, Carmine let go of her and took a step back "I'm gonna go check on Weiss, be right back." Carmine said hugging Blake.

Carmine jogged over to where Ruby and Yang were talking to Weiss, Carmine wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up "I'm so glad you're okay, I was worried about you." Carmine said as he hugged her, she placed her hands onto his shoulders "All because of you, Carmine." Weiss said planting a kiss onto his visor, Carmine sat her down onto the ground and pulled her into his embrace, she traced circles on his pouches and ballistic weaving. Ozpin cleared his throat "Enjoy this victory but we need to get to Atlas. Carmine, do you think you can get us there?" Ozpin asked, interrupting his reunion with his girlfriend. Weiss put her hand onto his chest "Go, we'll talk later." Weiss said hugging him, Carmine walked up to Ozpin "Yeah, I have a Battleship and an Airship or we can go knock down Lionheart's door." Carmine said, Ozpin thought for a moment "Yes, I would like to have a word with Lionheart. Lead the way, Carmine." Ozpin said, releasing control back to Oscar.

"Wolf Pack, rally up!" Carmine shouted, his team joined him at the door that led to the hallway of Lionheart's office. Laurel kicked open the double doors and led Carmine to Lionheart's locked office "Here it is, boss." Laurel said as he shook the door but it wouldn't budge, Carmine clapped his hands together and charged them both up with a Supernova in each. He placed his hands on the door and detonated the charges, the door exploded into shards of wood and metal that shot across the room. The room was very dark except for the light from the hall "Someone find a light switch, also does anyone smell blood?" Laurel asked as he searched for a switch on the wall, Celadon found a switch and turned on the lights, illuminating the office. Lionheart was sprawled out on the ground in a pool of his own blood, covered in lacerations and stab wounds.

"Oh Leo, why did you have to turn on us?" Ozpin asked as he looked at Leo's corpse, Verde flipped through a bookshelf and twisted a mini statue. A wall lifted and revealed a secret room, Verde peaked is head from behind the wall "The fuck is this?" He asked as he looked into the room, Carmine walked over and looked into the room where he heard the sound of clicking that grew closer. A black, floating orb came out of the room and looked around, its tentacles were covered in blood "Found out what killed Leo." Carmine said as he pulled out his revolver "Carmine Sable of Wolf Pack, we finally meet." A female voice said from the orb, Carmine tried to pull his revolver out faster "Nope, nope, nope, nope. That is a whole bunch of nope." Carmine said as he put the barrel to the floating orb and pulled the trigger, the orb exploded and crashed to the ground.

"That voice was Salem, she must have infiltrated Haven academy too, not just Cinder." Ozpin explained as the orb began to smoke, Carmine replaced his revolver back into its holster "Regalia, search his desk for anything of value." Carmine said as he looked through the bookshelf, Regalia ripped out all of the drawers in the desk. She pulled out a large drawer and revealed a button in the back of the desk, Regalia pressed the button and activated the button. The floor to the left of the desk separated and pushed out a large steel box out of the floor, Carmine knelt down in front of the box "Huh, this must be his important belongings." Carmine said as he twisted the knob on the safe, Regalia walked up and squatted down by him "I think we should check the infirmary for a stethoscope or find someone with sensitive hearing who can listen to the tumblers." Regalia said as she felt the metal door.

Carmine pulled off his bag and set it on the floor, unzipping the bag and digging through it "Here Ozpin, hold this." Carmine said as he pulled out the Relic and handed it to Oscar, Verde walked over and stood behind Oscar while he faced the door "I got you covered, kid." Verde said as he aimed his LMG at the hallway, Carmine dug through his bag some more before he pulled out a spray can "Ahh, here's the good stuff. Foaming Thermite, when I light this you need to get behind cover." Carmine said as he started spraying the foam down the side of the safe door, the foam expanded and clung to the door. Carmine pulled out a lighter and ignited the foam, the foam started sparking and burning as it ate through the metal. Carmine turned away from it as everyone got behind cover, the Thermite cut into the metal and burned upward toward the top of the safe.

After the Thermite stopped burning, the safe door dropped to the floor and collapsed to the ground, Carmine turned back around and waffed away the smoke "Alright Leonardo, let's see what you were hiding." Carmine said as he started digging through the safe, Oscar walked up behind him with the Relic still in his hands "What do you see?" Oscar asked as he looked over the rifleman's shoulder, Carmine pulled out a stack of files and placed them on the desk. He opened a red folder labeled 'Threat Level: Black' and flipped through a stack of papers "You son of a bitch, if I had known about this I would have killed you on the spot." Carmine said as he glared at Lionheart's corpse and clenched his fists.

Blake and Weiss ran over to their boyfriend and comforted him "What's wrong? What's gotten you so worked up?" Blake asked as she held onto his arm while Weiss held the other arm, he lowered his head "Lionheart had a detailed dossier on everyone in the Wolf Pack: Onyx, Crimson, Nightshade, Grullo, Keppel, and Myself. The bastard helped them kill my brothers, there's even a paper on Sapphire which labels her as 'Carmine's weakness'. He had to bring her into this." Carmine explained as he flipped through the papers, setting them out on the desk in order.

Blake rested her head on his shoulder "It's alright, he's gone and won't hurt any of us." Blake said as she rubbed his shoulder, Laurel nudged Lionheart's body with his foot to make sure he was dead, Leo groaned in pain which caused Carmine's head to snap over to the body. Carmine leaped over the desk and slid to his knees next to Leo, grabbing him by the collar "You son of a bitch! Why did you help them kill us!?" Carmine yelled, steam purged from his gas mask in anger. Leonardo coughed up blood onto his chest "Because… they forced me to." Leo said as he struggled to stay alive, Carmine sighed "If you knew how powerful we were, why didn't you ask for our help? We could have helped you." Carmine said, Leo looked up into Carmine's crimson visor "I'm… Sorry, Carmine. Sincerely, I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me" Leo asked as tears formed in his eyes, Carmine sat the headmaster back down onto the floor "I forgive you for creating a dossier on us but not for helping them kill us, that I can never forgive." Carmine said as Leo closed his eyes and passed away.

Carmine stood up and walked back over to the safe, he knelt down in front of it and dug through it more "Well, let's see what else you got in here, traitor." Carmine said as he pulled out more files, Carmine found a box on the bottom of the safe and pulled it out, setting it on the floor. The box was padlocked shut "Celadon, look for a key to this lock." Carmine said as he jiggled the lock, Celadon searched Leo's body but found nothing "Nothing, sorry man." Celadon said as he walked back over to Carmine, the rifleman nodded and grabbed the lock in his hand, charging a small Supernova in his right hand. He detonated the charge and blew the lock off of the box, he pulled the broken lock off and tossed it across the room, he lifted the lid and came face to face with a box of gold bars.

"Holy shit-fuck-balls!" Carmine exclaimed as he stared at the box of gold, Laurel and Celadon walked over and looked at the bars, Celadon reached down and picked up a bar "Hmm, if I remember correctly the going rate for a kilo of gold was 43,109 Lien and this bar is roughly ten kilos so that means one bar is…. 431,090 Lien and let's see this box has about five layers of eighteen bricks." Celadon said as he started writing down on a piece of paper, "This box contains 38,798,100 Lien." Celadon said as he slid the paper over to Carmine, Laurel's eyes went wide with surprise "I wonder what this was for, like payment wise?" Laurel asked as he grabbed the gold bar from Celadon and sat it back into the box, Carmine closed the lid and put a pencil where the lock was "Well, it don't matter because it's ours now." Carmine said as he sat it on the desk.

Carmine placed the box into his backpack along with the rest of the contents of the safe, zipping it up afterwards and placing it onto his back "Alright, I'm ready to move when you guys are." Carmine said standing up, Laurel and Celadon picked up Lionheart's body and carried him out of the room "What should we do with his body?" Laurel asked as he looked back, Carmine shook his head "Well Ozpin, how about it?" Carmine asked as he looked over at the boy.

Oscar let Ozpin take control of the body "Do what you think is right." Ozpin said as he shook his head, Carmine looked up to Laurel "Toss him down the hole with that bitch, Cinder." Carmine said as Laurel and Celadon carried the body down the hall but Carmine stopped them "Wait! This isn't right." Carmine said as he walked up to the body, he grabbed Leo's arm and unlatched his shield "Alright, now you can dispose of the body." Carmine said as he looked at the shield, Carmine led them back out into the main room "Man, we sure did a number on this room." Verde said as he looked around the room that was covered in craters and bullet holes, Carmine walked out of the hole in the wall and onto the Haven courtyard.

Mistral police airships flew around the area while Carmine's airship flew up higher in the air, Carmine looked around the area and sighed in relief "I think we're good for a while." Carmine said as he extended his arms to the side. As he relaxed, a tank shell flew across the courtyard and hit one of the Mistral Police airships, the airship crashed to the ground and exploded into an inferno of fire. Carmine looked toward the direction it came from and saw a K1-88 tank drive out of the bushes, followed by a BTR-80, a BMD-3, and a M113 APC, the APC pulled out further and the gunner opened fire at the group from Beacon. Carmine pushed everyone back into the war-torn room "Get down, get down!" Carmine yelled as he got behind the wall, he leaned against the wall and pulled out his scroll, tapping into one of the drones above.

Carmine flew the drone over and dropped a GBU-24 onto the BTR-90, the bomb exploded and ripped the hull apart but the BMD-3 shot the drone out of the sky. The drone crashed into the forest and exploded, severing the connection to Carmine's scroll "Shit, wait we have tanks here." Carmine said as he looked out, three tanks tore across the courtyard and fired at the threats. Four KA-52 Alligators flew around the campus and performed multiple strafe runs onto the attacking force, Carmine put his hand to his ear as a female voice started talking "Carmine, this is Reaper squadron engaging the targets, orders sir?" The pilot asked as she fired at the tank, Carmine looked up into the sky "Reaper squadron, two break off and perform a recon sweep, look for any threats out there. I have a feeling that whoever this is, they're just testing the waters." Carmine said as two helicopters broke off and flew over the forest, six more tanks drove across the courtyard as they responded to the threat.

"Where were they earlier?" Laurel asked as he joined everyone as they watched the action, Carmine's earpiece went off "Sir, bad news: They're only testing us, seeing how we would respond. We see about five panzer divisions lined up and ready. We're returning to… what the hell is… LILY! DODGE! DODGE! OH GOD, REAPER 3-1 IS DOWN!" The female pilot screamed as the other helicopter was blown out of the sky, Carmine clenched his fists as he heard the other pilot sobbing "NO! LILY, GODS DAMN IT!" The pilot said in anger "Reaper 3-2, pull it together! You have a job to do and that is to survive, dammit. If you die, who will carry on Lily's memory? Live for her, Reaper 3-2." Carmine said as he calmed her down "The name is Lavender, sir. Lily was my sister, we were known as the Twin Flowers of Atlas." Lavender said as she flew back towards Haven, Carmine stood up and walked out of the building, he looked up at the sky as the helicopter flew over "Lavender, if you need anything, please don't be afraid to ask." Carmine said as he lowered his head, the comm was quiet for a minute before Lavender spoke up "Thank you, sir. It means a lot." Lavender said as she rejoined her squadron.

"I wonder who has the balls to attack us." Carmine asked as he walked back into the building as the tank divisions drove around the academy, Laurel sat back against a broken wall "Man, should we call in the airship and leave while we can?" Laurel asked as he stared at the staircase, Carmine walked around the room and cradled his head in his hands "Son of a bitch! Kind of caught between a rock and a hard place." Carmine said as he paced the room, Carmine turned around and saw a M9 Half Track Comm Truck tear across the campus. Carmine sprinted outside and waved the truck down, the Half Track turned and pulled up in front of the building "Sir?" The driver asked as he got out of the truck.

"How far will this reach? Is there any nearby airbases?" Carmine asked as he walked up to the truck, the driver pulled out a map and placed it on the hood of the truck "Alright, there's a base here and they should be able to relay a message to this base and this base to that base, so on and so forth." The driver explained as he tuned the radio and handed the handset to Carmine, Carmine pressed the button on the side and began to speak "This is Carmine Sable with the Wolf Pack, we are at Haven Academy and we are surrounded by five Panzer Divisions with an unknown force per Division. We are requesting immediate air support, we need the 588th Airborne!" Carmine said as he finished his message, Carmine tapped his foot as he waited for a response.

"Sir, who is the 588th Airborne?" Celadon asked as he and the others walked outside to join Carmine, the Rifleman turned around and looked at the crowd "The 588th is an elite group of all female bomber pilots, they are dubbed The Night Witches since they cut their engines off when they're on bombing missions. I personally trained a couple of them, they fly an assortment of bombers: a B-52 Stratofortress, two B-1 Lancers, two B-2 Spirit, and three F/A 18 Hornets with an escort of six F-22 Raptors." Carmine explained as a voice came through the radio, Carmine picked up the handset and listened for a reply "Roger, 588th has been scrambled to your location. We're are sending a recon drone to your location to capture the enemies position." The radio operator informed the Wolf Pack, Carmine hung up the handset and turned to his allies "Alright, let's dig in and get ready for combat." Carmine said as he guided everyone back into the building, Laurel guided the Comm truck into the building to keep it safe.

"Alright, let's fortify this position: Verde, go and secure the main doors that lead to the headmaster's office." Carmine said, Verde nodded and made his way to the door, he slammed them shut and dropped a statue in front of the door "Door is secure." Verde said through his radio. Verde walked up to the rail and extended his bi-pod on his M240B, he placed the LMG onto the rail and pulled back the bolt, chambering a round from the box mag. Carmine looked over to Weiss "Hey sweetie, you think you can bring out Igor, the giant swordsman?" Carmine asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, she rested her head against his shoulder "Anything for you." Weiss said as she kissed his exposed skin on his neck.

Weiss walked into the center of the room and conjured a glyph, smoke billowed from the glyph as a giant white swordsman came from the floor. The swordsman kneeled and thrusted his sword into the ground, Carmine walked up next to Weiss and looked up at the swordsman "So does it use up your energy to maintain its existence?" Carmine asked as the swordsman stared at him, Weiss sighed "Yeah, I don't know how long I'll be able to hold it." Weiss said as she shrunk the swordsman down to fit on Carmine's shoulder, the swordsman sat on his shoulder while kicking his feet and nodding his head.

"Wolf Pack, this is recon unit one Alpha; we are seeing five Panzer divisions: five T-55s, five T-72s, five Type 88s, five K-2 Black Panthers, and five T-62s. Also, two divisions are on their way toward Haven so get ready, 588th is about seven minutes out." The operator told Carmine as he stood next to the Comms Truck, Carmine walked out and looked up into the sky where he saw a red flashing light in the night sky. Carmine pulled out his scroll and pressed call on a contact labeled 'Spectre', the phone rung and was answered quickly "Hello hello, this is the Sky Reaper: Who can I send to hell for you?" The pilot of the AC-130 said as it flew in circles.

"Sky Reaper, what is your fuel level looking like? There are two Panzer divisions making their way here and we are out gunned." Carmine said as he looked around the dark woods, he could hear the rumble of tank engines getting closer. The Wolf Pack tank divisions sped by as they raced to combat the Panzer divisions, Carmine backed into the building as the sound of tank cannons firing filled the area, a K-2 broke through the treeline and pulled onto the campus. Carmine put his rifle onto his back and walked out toward the tank with his hands raised "I SEEK DIPLOMACY WITH YOUR CAPTAIN!" Carmine yelled as he walked, the tank hatch opened and a man with a beret climbed out, he made his way towards Carmine.

Carmine lowered his hands "So, are you military or mercenaries?" Carmine asked as the captain walked up to him, the captain pulled out a cigar and lit it "We're with the 184th Mistral Militant Battalion, so yes, a mercenary group like yourselves except that we're larger in size." The captain said as a battalion of foot soldiers walked out of the forest followed by a Panzer Division came out through the trees. So, why are you coming after us? What did we do?" Carmine asked as the man took a drag from his cigar and dropped it to the ground, stomping it out "Well, someone hired us to take out the Wolf Pack who laid siege to Haven Academy." The captain said as he shifted his weight to his other leg.

Carmine sighed "Well, someone gave you wrong information, we were here fighting off the White Fang and the people who took down Beacon academy." Carmine explained, the captain laughed "Whatever, if that is true than where are the bodies?" The captain asked, Carmine pointed toward a Mistral Police Airship "Most of them have been arrested and detained in those airships, those who resisted were killed. A good amount of them surrendered." Carmine explained.

The captain rubbed his head "Look, I'm sorry about this but I'm just the platoon leader, the real leader is back that way and he's loyal to our buyer." The captain said as he sighed, Carmine tilted his head "Who's your buyer?" Carmine asked, the captain placed his hands onto his hips "I wish I could tell you that, I really do but it would go against my code but I will say that his initials are R.T. and he has a two colored assistant." The captain said as he extended his hand "Good luck, I'll try my best to help but I doubt I can." The captain said as he shook Carmine's hand "Can you provide an escort for our non-combatants?" Carmine asked, the captain nodded and gestured to his platoon, a jeep drove to the building, the driver left the jeep there as he returned to his platoon, the captain nodded as he walked back to his K-2 Tank.

Carmine walked back to his people "Alright Qrow, Oscar, Ruby, Yang, Ren, Nora, Jaune, Weiss, and Blake: load up into the jeep, Regalia, take them back to the B.M.S. Valor. Everyone loaded up but Blake and Weiss "We won't leave you, not again." Weiss begged, Carmine hugged her and reassured her that he'll be fine "We'll be fine, I'll come back and take you both on a trip, just the two of us, ok?" Carmine asked as he hugged her, she buried her face into his shoulder "Please come back to us, please." Weiss said softly, Blake grabbed Weiss by the arm and dragged her into the jeep.

Regalia started the jeep and tore down the road, leaving only a trail of dust behind them as it drove down the road, Carmine walked back to his team "Alright, let's get ready for combat." Carmine said as he pulled out his SCAR, he pulled back the bolt on the battle rifle. Sun pulled out his AK and changed mags, pulling back the bolt and chambering a round, Sun leaped and bounced off the walls until he reached the roof. He got into the rafters of the building and wrapped his tail around a support beam.

Celadon sprinted over to staircase and posted up against the wall, he extended the barrel on his G36C into its G36 sniper variant, he extended the Bipod onto one of the steps and aimed down the sight "Overwatch: Ready, Celadon said. Support: Ready, Verde said. Recon: Ready, Sun said. Main Assault: Ready. Carmine and Laurel said, Laurel pulled back the bolt on his Stryker shotgun. The radio scrambled "This is the 588th Airborne coming in, we have your targets in our sights, and we're about 6 minutes out." The pilot said, Carmine ran over to the Comms truck and dug through a box on the side until he pulled out a flare gun. Carmine pulled out his scroll and typed in a single word 'Fire!' he pressed send and a minute later the AC-130 started to engage the Mistral Battalion.

105mm Sabot rounds screamed through the sky as they were chased by 60mm autocannon rounds, the munitions impacted the Panzer divisions and ripped into them. A HE Shell rained down and hit a Type 88, the heavy tank exploded and flipped over. The Wolf Pack Tank Division engaged the Panzers, an Abrams drifted around a tree and fired into the rear of a T-72, the T-72s engine caught fire and burned as the tank stopped moving. The crew crawled out of the compartment on fire, they ran screaming as their fuel covered clothes burned. The gunner of the Abrams lit into them, the .50 Caliber bullets shredded them and dropped them to the ground as they burned. The K-2's main gun turned and targeted the Abrams, it fired a Sabot round that ripped through the Abram's hull.

The Abrams exploded into burst of fire and shrapnel, a line of T-72s crept from the forest and lined up, firing a volley at Haven. Many of the shells hit the rest of school, Carmine pulled out the flare gun and fired at the center tank, the flare leaped from the barrel of the gun and raced toward the tank. The flare bounced of the outer hull and ignited, the gunner laughed "That all you got!?" He laughed as the AC-130 fired at the tank line, regular 105mm shells rained down and destroyed the tanks. One after another, the tanks exploded and burned. "Hey, where is the Menagerie Militia?" Celadon asked as he fired at the battalion, Carmine turned around and looked at the sniper "They're securing the rest of the school, they should stay safe there." Carmine said as he pulled his rifle back out.

"Three minutes out, sir. Targets have been marked and are tasked to be eliminated. Squad one break off." The lead pilot said as they approached their objective, Carmine looked up as a B-1 and two F-16s flew over, dropping their payload onto the forest below. The bombs hit the ground and exploded, engulfing the forest in a thick cloud of smoke and fire. Mercenaries from the 184th ran out of the forest as it burned, an F-22 flew over and finished off the stragglers with six 500 lbs JDAMs. The bombs hit and exploded, ripping the mercs from the 184th apart and sending their limbs flying in every direction, Carmine watched as an arm landed by his foot and he quickly kicked it away.

"Alright boys! Momma's home! WooHoo!" The lead pilot yelled through the intercom as a B-52 flew in, followed by two B-2 Spirits, a B-1 Lancer, and two F/A-18 Hornets, Heavy metal started blaring through the speakers as they approached.

 **Night Witches – Sabaton (It fits perfectly, don't judge me. :)**

 **From the depths of Hell in silence cast their spells, explosive violence, Atlas night time flight perfected Flawless vision, undetected.**

 **Pushing on and on, their planes are going strong, Air force's number one. Somewhere down below they're looking for the foe, Bomber's on a run. You can't hide, you can't move, just abide their attack's been proved, Raiders in the dark. Silent through the night the witches join the fight, never miss their mark.**

The bottom of the planes opened up as they got closer to their targets, bombs fell from the harbingers of death as they flew over. The bombs hit their mark and exploded in a huge blast, they effectively carpet bombed a large area around their target.

 **Foes are losing ground, retreating to the sound, Death is in the air. Suddenly appears, confirming all your fears, Strike from witches lair. Target found, come around, barrels sound from the battleground, Axis aiming high. Rodina awaits, defeat them at the gates, Live to fight and fly.**

The explosions lit up the night sky as two F-18's broke off from the pack and circled around the school, the jets cut back around and lined up for another run. The F-18's flew overhead and deployed their payload into another part of the forest, one of the jets descended and engaged the ground targets via the plane's 25mm auto-cannon, the bullets tore through their targets and coated the ground in a thick layer of blood.

The F-18 preformed a barrel roll as it ascended back to its flight altitude, rejoining the other F-18 and the rest of the 588th Airborne.

 **Canvas wings of death, prepare to meet your fate. Night Bomber Regiment, 588. Undetected, unexpected wings of glory, tell their story. Aviation, deviation, Undetected Stealth perfected.**

The radio clicked with feedback "Confirm, four of the five divisions have been eliminated while the others seem to be retreating, do you want us to pursue?" One of the pilots asked as they seemed to disappear into the night sky, Carmine picked up the handset and pressed the button on the side "Negative, Night Witches. You return to Atlas, good job." Carmine said, the radio cracked with audio feedback as a male voice came through the radio.

"Well… I guess I should have expected that from you, Sable. Did you like my little present?" The voice asked, Carmine picked the radio back up "I take it you're the one who bought the services of 184th, right?" Carmine asked, a laugh came through the radio "Oh, yes I did. I didn't expect them to live anyway. How's little red, Carmine?" The voice asked, Carmine froze in place "Torchwick?! I heard that you died!" Carmine shouted into the handset, Roman chuckled lightly "Well, technically I did when I was eaten by a Griffon but I guess you should know, Griffon's don't swallow their food and I had my cane with me. When it flew away, I killed it from the inside and was saved by Neo before I could fall to my death, I lost an arm thanks to that Grimm." Roman explained, Carmine leaned against the radio truck "So, you're back to your evil ways?" Carmine asked as he lowered his head, Roman was quiet for a moment "Your psychological experiment wore off shortly after Ironwood took me in." Roman said, Carmine shook his head in anger.

"I guess next I see you, I'll skip the mercy and get right to putting you down." Carmine said as he exhaled steam through his gas mask, Roman was silent for a moment before he answered "That's a nice ship you got there, I wonder if anyone is home." Roman said with a laugh, Carmine's heart dropped inside of him, Wolf Pack regrouped with their leader as he stared into the war torn campus, Laurel grabbed the handset as Carmine pulled out his scroll "Listen here you son of a bitch, you so much as scratch that ship and I will personally kick your ass back to the stone age." Laurel threatened as the Wolf Pack's Airship landed, the main bridge extended.

The Wolf Pack mercenaries boarded the Airship, Carmine took control of the airship and rose back into the sky "I'm coming for you, you son of a bitch." Carmine said as he engaged the thrusters, the airship tore through the night sky as it slowly reached its destination. Carmine activated the Vulcan cannon from the bottom of the airship and scanned the harbor where the B.M.S. Valor was docked. He flipped a switch and turned on the gun's thermal camera, the ship glowed white as did five tanks that slowly approached the large battleship "I don't suppose you can control the battleship remotely?" Laurel asked as he looked at the tanks, Carmine shook his head "Nope, I wish but alas we're going to have to do this the hard way." Carmine said as he moved a joystick which moved the Vulcan underneath the airship.

"Lucky for us, this Vulcan is the same one used in A-10's and those shred tanks to pieces." Carmine explained as the gun finished loading itself, Carmine pointed to a door in the back of the room with his foot "Check that storage room and see if there is anything of use." Carmine said, Celadon walked over and opened the door, turning on the light but the sniper froze in place "I didn't find any weapons but I did find this." Celadon said as he pulled a Faunus from the storage, the man cowered in fear "Please don't hurt me." The man begged, Carmine turned around and looked at the man who had black Eagle wings protruding from his back.

Carmine patted him on the shoulder "Hey, we aren't going to hurt you. What were you doing in there?" Carmine asked, the man raised his head "I-I was working on the lighting inside that room when you guys suddenly came in and took control, I thought you might have been White Fang so I was scared and hid in this room." The man explained, Carmine sighed and dropped his head "Well, we're not with the White Fang. My name is Carmine Sable of the Wolf Pack, this is Laurel, Verde, Sun, and the one who found you is Celadon. Who are you?" Carmine asked as he picked the man up off the ground, the man stuttered slightly "M-My n-n-name is C-C-Cobalt E-Ecru, I'm a technician with Haven Helios Electricity." Cobalt said as he introduced himself, Carmine extended his hand to Cobalt "Well Cobalt, do you have any combat experience?" Carmine asked, Cobalt nodded his head "I used to attend Beacon Academy but after the Fall of Beacon, my father put me to work with Helios since we're unsure when Beacon will reopen." Cobalt said.

Laurel tilted his head "I don't remember seeing you there." Laurel said confused, Cobalt chuckled "That's because I spent most of my time in the library, studying everything from electrical engineering to mechanics. I work well with my hands, as you can see." Cobalt said as he gestured to the monitors and lights. Carmine nodded his head "You got some skill in you, want to join us as our Technician. We'll train you in combat or anything that you need help with." Cobalt nodded his head "That sounds great, I know this ship like the back of my hand so if you got any questions, just ask." Cobalt said, Carmine patted him on the shoulder "Welcome aboard W.P.A. Harbinger." Carmine said, Celadon walked back into the room and looked around before bringing out a large crate "Here, AT-4s and SMAWs. This should take care of those tanks down there." Celadon said as he pulled the lid off of the crate, Carmine picked up an AT-4 "Well Cobalt, you feel like showing us what you got?" Carmine asked, Cobalt was hesitant for a moment.

"Are you sure? I never fired one of these before." Cobalt said hesitantly, Carmine reassured him "It's easy, just place it onto your shoulder, aim down this sight, and when you're ready to fire, press the red button." Carmine said as he handed it to Cobalt, Cobalt took it from the rifleman and walked out to the deck of the Harbinger. He extended his wings and took off into the night sky, he flew around above before diving down toward the ground, Cobalt aimed as he flew closer to the ground. He pressed the button and caused a rocket to leap from the launcher, the rocket flew and impacted the side of one of the tanks. The rocket exploded and blew the tank up, the inside of the tank burned as the tracks fell off of the T-55.

Cobalt flew back up to the Harbinger and landed on the deck, his pupils were pulsating up adrenaline "I can't believe I just did that!" Cobalt said excitedly as he walked up to one of the monitors, he started typing as he pulled up the ship's mainframe "I installed speakers onto the airship as a way of communicating with those below since this was to be used as a Tank for the Mistral Police, the program was scrubbed when Beacon fell and they had to divert funds. I kept working in hopes of using as my own but it's better off in your hands." Cobalt said as he pulled up the auxiliary port, parts of the ship opened up to reveal metal speaker covers, he sat his scroll into the outlet dock and activated the audio system.

 **Unstoppable – The Score**

 **There's a moment, in your bones when, when the fire takes over. Blood is running, heart is pumping as the battle gets closer. Ooh, they can say what they want now, ooh, cause we'll be screaming out.**

"Alright, let's get to work." Carmine said as he took control of the Vulcan's joystick, Cobalt picked up a SMAW and ran back outside as he took off into the night sky.

 **We can be heroes everywhere we go, we can have all that we ever want. Swinging like Ali, knocking out bodies standing on top like a champion. Keep your silver, give me that gold, you'll remember when I say. We can be heroes everywhere we go, keeping us down is impossible, cause we're unstoppable.**

Carmine squeezed the trigger on the joystick and caused the Vulcan to spit out 30mm rounds from the gun, the rounds screamed through the air as they tore into the tops of the tanks. One of the tanks emitted a cloud of smoke in an effort to get away, Cobalt flew overhead and fired the SMAW, the rocket impacted the side of another T-55 as 30mm rounds rained down onto the same tank.

 **Every spotlight, every sound byte, Everybody who gave up, is just the fuel for, wanting it more than anybody against us. Ooh, they can say what they want now, ooh, cause we'll be screaming out.**

 **We can be heroes everywhere we go, we can have all that we ever want. Swinging like Ali, knocking out bodies standing on top like a champion. Keep your silver, give me that gold, you'll remember when I say. We can be heroes everywhere we go, keeping us down is impossible, cause we're unstoppable.**

"Two down, three to go!" Laurel said as he watched the monitor, Cobalt flew back up to the airship "Shit, these things can take a beating." He said panting as he sat down against the wall, Carmine turned to him "This ship doesn't happen to have an AGM's, does it?" Carmine asked, Cobalt shook his head "They were supposed to be added but the project got scrubbed." Cobalt explained, Carmine nodded his head understandingly as he flipped on a switch that read 'Trophy'. A box extended from the bottom of the ship and began to spin slowly, Laurel looked at the monitor on the roof by the main window "Trophy System activated, countermeasures?" Laurel asked as he looked at the rifleman who nodded, Carmine took control of the ships controls and caused it to descend toward the ground.

He gave control to Laurel and walked over to a table, he pulled his backpack off and sat it onto the table. He unzipped it and pulled out a couple of hand grenades, placing them into his pouch "Fly us near the tanks and when I jump, take off back into the sky." Carmine said as he opened the door, Laurel nodded. Carmine readied himself as they got closer to the ground, he leaped from the airship and landed on the roof of a K-2 as the airship took off back into the sky. The hatch opened as an operator popped out and aimed at Carmine, the operator fired but missed and Carmine kicked him in the throat, grabbing him by the harness and tossing him out of the tank. Carmine hopped into the compartment and took control of the tank, the main cannon turned and fired into the tank to the right as he pressed the pedal and caused the tank to drive forward. The tank to the right fired and hit the side of the K-2 as it turned, the K-2 sped off and drifted around, the tracks sparked as they scrapped against the concrete and the tank faced the other two tanks.

One of the tanks turned its attention toward Carmine while the other made its way toward the Valor, Carmine loaded a HE shell into the main gun and closed the chamber, he raised the barrel and fired. Fire and smoke blew from the barrel as a shell flew from the gun, the shell hit the side of the approaching tank, the shell exploded and ripped a hole into the side of the tank. The tracks fell off of the now destroyed tank as it started to burn and smoke. Carmine turned his attention to the last tank that had taken aim at Carmine, he stomped on the pedal and took off down the harbor, the enemy tank fired but the shell just grazed the K-2 and exploded behind him. Carmine sped past the enemy tank and turned the main cannon back toward the last tank, Carmine ejected the spent shell and reloaded a Sabot round, he closed the chamber and targeted the side of the tank as it started to turn. He slowed his breathing as he looked through the sight and lined up the sights "Goodbye, motherfucker." Carmine said as he pulled the trigger, the round screamed from the barrel and impacted the side of the tank.

The round punched a hole into the side of the tank, the main gun stopped turning as it began to smoke. The operator opened the hatch and pulled himself out of the tank, the man fell to the ground as the tank smoked, Carmine drove forward and stopped close to the man. He climbed out of the tank and walked over to the man, he grabbed him by his harness "Hang on, buddy. I got you." Carmine said as he dragged the man away from the now burning tank, the held his leg in pain as Carmine sat him up against the K-2 "Alright, let me see what you're dealing with." Carmine said as he pulled out his knife and cut open the man's pant leg, blood was seeping from a laceration on his left leg. "Which pocket is your field dressing in?" Carmine asked as he slapped the man to keep him awake "Right shoulder." The man said, Carmine opened the pocket and pulled out a medium sized pouch that read 'First Aid.'

"Alright, this should help with the pain." Carmine said as he pushed a needle of morphine into his leg, the man stopped shaking after a minute. Carmine pulled out Gauze and started to dress the wound, the man started to fade in and out of consciousness as the side of the Valor started to open. Regalia ran out and knelt down next to Carmine "Alright, I'm here." Regalia said as she started to work on the operator, she removed the packed Gauze and focused her aura into the wound. The wound glowed purple as it started to close, the man stopped writhing in agony as the wound closed fully and the blood stopped seeping from his body. The man slowly opened his eyes and looked at the two Mercenaries that were working on him.

Carmine reached up and tried to take off his harness but he reached for his gun, Carmine caught his hand "I'm trying to check for wounds, you were badly injured." Carmine explained, the man removed his hand from his holster and laid it on the ground as Carmine unzipped his harness along with his utility shirt. Carmine searched the man's body searching for open wounds but found none, he back against the tank treads and sighed in relief as he pulled his gas mask off, setting it in his lap. A cool breeze caressed his face as it blew across the harbor, the smell of sea salt, oil, and smoke filled his nostrils along with the scent of blooming flowers, pink petals blew across the harbor and coated the concrete "The cherry blossoms are blooming." Carmine said with a smile on his face, he held out his hand as a petal landed in his palm. Regalia looked up and smiled as the pink petals seemed to dance around her, RWBY and JNR walked out of the ship to check on Carmine. Blake and Weiss ran over to the rifleman and collapsed into his chest "Please don't do that again, you had us so scared." Blake said as she started to cry, the Airship flew around and landed on the back of the Valor.

Weiss kissed Carmine on the cheek "Thank you for protecting us." She said as she rested her head onto his shoulder, Ruby hopped up onto the tank and sat on the barrel, swinging her feet while Yang looked around the harbor. Oscar walked up and let Ozpin take control "Mr. Sable, do you mind telling me who that was?" Ozpin asked, referring to the tank divisions that attacked Haven, Carmine sighed "It's Roman Torchwick, he's back." Carmine said, Ruby gasped "I watched him get eaten by a Griffon." Ruby said, Carmine shook his head "He had his cane and shot his way out, he was rescued by Neo." Carmine explained. "What does he want? The Relic?" Ozpin asked, Carmine shook his head "He wants me, since I manipulated him psychologically." Carmine said as the tank operator began to stir.

"Ugh, where am I?" He asked as he rubbed his head, Carmine tapped him on the shoulder "You're safe, I rescued you and we patched you up." Carmine explained, Qrow walked up and pulled out a set of keys "There is a truck over there that you can use to leave." Qrow said as he handed the keys to the operator, the man nodded "Thank you for everything." The man said as he stood up and limped his way to the truck, he climbed in and started it up. The truck drove off into the distance before disappearing into the night, Laurel walked up to Carmine "We're ready when you are, Captain." Laurel said with a salute, Carmine had his arms wrapped Blake and Weiss's waists but just nodded. Carmine lightly shook Blake and Weiss "Hey, we're leaving." He said softly, Weiss raised her head and looked into his crimson eyes "Alright, come on, Blake. Let's go get his room ready." Weiss said, Blake perked up at the last thing Weiss said and shot up with Weiss, they ran back onboard the ship and disappeared into the main cabin.

Carmine shook his head as he stood up with his gas mask in hand and clipped it to his side, Carmine looked over to Celadon "Hey, go open the main storage area." Carmine said as he climbed back up onto the K-2 and opened the hatch, Ruby slipped inside with him "Can you show me how this all works?" She asked curiously, Carmine shrugged as he sat down into the driver's seat "Well, this is the driver's seat, the seat you're in is the loader and the one behind you is the gunner, the gunner controls the heavy machine gun on the top of the tank." Carmine said as he pressed the ignition, the tank rumbled to life and Carmine shifted the tank into gear, he pressed the pedal and caused it to move forward.

"Now turning the tank is surprisingly easy, you just turn this steering wheel and it will slow one of the tracks down so that the other will go faster and in turn, it will turn in the direction of the slowed track." Carmine explained as the tank turned around and faced the open side of the Battleship, Carmine pressed the pedal and drove forward onto the ramp of the ship. The K-2 pulled into the storage area and turned around, he backed it up in line with the other vehicles like the Iron Mountain and the M1126 Stryker ICV. He cut the engine off and climbed out of the hatch on the front of the tank while Ruby climbed out of the hatch on the main gun "Thanks Carmine." Ruby said as she hopped down off of the tank, Carmine patted her on the head "You're welcome but why did you want to learn anyway?" Carmine asked curiously as he walked with her up the staircase, she looked at him "You've done so much for us, I just want to be able to help out when the time comes." She said, Carmine looked into her silver eyes and saw the sincerity "Alright, anytime you have a question, don't be afraid to ask, okay little red?" Carmine said, she shook her head "Alright, Carmine." Ruby said happily, Carmine hit a switch on the wall that closed the side of the ship.

He opened the bulkhead door and walked in while Ruby followed "Hey, what happened to ladies first?" Ruby asked confused, Carmine turned to her "It's how I was trained, I go in first to make sure the coast is clear." Carmine said as he closed the bulkhead door behind her, she nodded "Oh, I understand." Ruby said as she walked down the hall, Carmine followed her to the main bridge where he took control of the steering wheel. He turned the ignition key and fired up the main engine, the ship rumbled loudly as the turbines spun inside the engine bay "So do you ever worry about the propeller getting tangled or something?" Yang asked as she spun around in one of the chairs, Carmine shook his head "No, the propellers are too strong to get tangled, also, they're too big." Carmine explained as he pushed the throttle forward and the ship pulled away from the harbor, he pressed a button and activated the fog horn. The horn bellowed out as it rung across the sea, Carmine activated the ship's lights that illuminated the dark sea "We use a combination of lights, radar, and sonar to navigate at night, we also operate in shifts. The day shift is a full crew while the night shift is a skeleton crew." Carmine said as they passed a collection of rocks.

Celadon tapped him on the shoulder "You go get some sleep, we'll take it from here." Celadon said as he took the wheel from Carmine, Carmine nodded and made his way to his room. He opened the bulkhead and entered his room, closing it behind him and walking into the dark room. Carmine pulled out a glow stick and cracked it, the stick started to glow white as it lit up the area around him "Alright, where is that switch." Carmine said as he searched the wall until he eventually found it, he flipped it on and lit up the room "Ah, there we go." Carmine said as he put the stick into his pocket, he turned around and gazed upon Blake and Weiss in his bed while wearing nothing but a sheet.

"About time you got here, we were gonna start without you." Blake said seductively, Weiss kissed Blake on the lips and groped her breasts. Carmine unclipped his IBA and sat it onto the chair, along with his hoodie and holsters "Ladies, I would love to do that but first I want to wash the blood off of me." Carmine said as he showed the blood on his arms, Blake and Weiss got out of bed and walked over to him.

"Then we'll shower with you." Blake said as she took his hand into hers, Weiss followed suit and took his other hand, together they led him into the shower. Carmine turned on the hot water and pulled off his blood stained boots along with his battered and bloodied pants "Man, I need to wash these." Carmine said as he shook a bit of shrapnel from one of the pockets, the metal clanged to the floor and slid into the corner. Carmine stepped under the water and felt it flow over him, the water chipped away at the dirt and soot on his body along with the blood on his arms. The water turned a combination of black and red as the dirty water was swallowed by the drain, Carmine washed his body under the hot water as the heat soothed his sore muscles that ached from a day of intense battle.

 ***Mild NSFW***

Blake and Weiss stepped into the shower with him after he was done scrubbing the filth away, Blake pressed her lips again up against his while her breasts were pushed up against his chest. Weiss lowered herself to the ground while Blake continued to kiss Carmine, she jolted in surprise when Weiss went to work on her downstairs along with his. Blake wrapped her arms around his neck as she started panting in ecstasy, she raked her nails along his back while she kissed his neck. Carmine pulled away from Weiss with a pop and pushed Blake up against the wall, he kissed her neck and lightly bit down which caused her to moan more intensely "Quit playing and fuck me already." Blake pleaded to her lover, he nodded and got closer to her. Weiss stood up and moved over beside them.

 ***End NSFW***

Carmine turned the water off and stepped out onto the cold floor and laid a towel out onto the floor, Weiss stepped out panting while Blake followed and swallowed with a gulp. Weiss looked at her "Lucky." Weiss said playfully, Carmine handed them both a towel as he pulled on a pair of boxers and shorts. Carmine exited the bathroom and climbed into bed "Oh, this feels great" Carmine said as he sighed in relief, Blake and Weiss followed him into bed again wearing nothing but a smile.

"You two really like sleeping in the nude, don't you?" Carmine said as they laid next to him, Blake and Weiss kissed him on the cheek "You know it, big boy." Weiss said seductively, Blake pulled the sheet over them as Carmine closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep, Blake reached over and turned the lights off with the switch on the wall. The ship was quiet as he slept, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend's waists and their faces nuzzled into his neck.

 **(Thank you for reading Chapter 15: The Maiden Voyage, sorry it took so long. Life is crazy, Chapter 16 has yet to be started so stay tuned and be on the lookout for the continuation of this epic story. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.)**


	16. Chapter 16: Old Wounds

Chapter 16: Old Wounds

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review. Back from Hiatus, Mother Fuckers!**

Carmine laid in bed between Blake and Weiss, he stared at the roof of the Captain's quarters and thought to himself 'I can't believe the 184th would work for someone like Torchwick, after we fought back to back in Vacuo, they turn around and aim their tanks at me.' Carmine's mind raced with a multitude of thoughts, Carmine was snapped back into reality when a knock came from the door "Hey Carmine, come to the bridge when you can." Laurel said through the door, Carmine internally nodded as he slowly pulled himself out of bed, being careful to not wake the two beautiful ladies that lay asleep in his bed.

Carmine left his room and made his way to the bridge where his team was gathered, the blue ocean gleamed like diamonds in the sun as the Valor plowed through the water "Hey! There's the man, the myth, and the legend. How'd you sleep?" Celadon asked as he leaned against the wall by the door, Regalia and Laurel were looking at a map while Yang and RNJR conversed amongst themselves. Everyone turned their attention toward Carmine who stood in the doorway, Regalia walked over and handed him a hot cup of coffee "Drink up, we got questions." Regalia said in a serious tone of voice. Carmine shrugged and hammered the coffee back, he sat the cup onto the counter as he sat back into a rolling chair "Alright, shoot." Carmine said as he placed his hands behind his head.

Yang stepped up first and cleared her throat "What did you do before attending Beacon?" Blonde fury asked curiously, everyone in the room seemed to move closer slightly in anticipation of his answer, Carmine sighed as he scratched his beard "I was a mercenary, my team and I would take contracts for people, factions, or groups; we had rules though, one of which was to do no harm to the innocent. We would get contracts from all over, but they were mostly from Atlas and Schnee Dust Company, a couple of years ago we got tasked with assaulting an Atlas base over in Vacuo that had been taken over by the White Fang and an unknown group. We linked up with the 184th Mistral Militia and attacked the base, I fought side by side with a man named Titus Quinn. He was a great man, wore his heart on his sleeve and looked out for his people." Carmine said as he recalled the events of his past.

Sun raised his hand slightly "You said 'was', did he…" Sun asked hesitantly, Carmine shook his head "I don't know what happened to Titus, the last we heard of him was that he chased a herd of Goliaths out into a valley and annihilated them with his Challenger 2." Carmine said as he remembered Crimson showed him the video. Celadon stepped forward "Yeah, I got a question; how did you get those two rectangle scars on your side?" Celadon asked the rifleman, Carmine lowered his head and sunk a little in his chair "That was from when I came face to face with pure evil, a man named Alastor who was a member of a mercenary group called the Grimm Reapers. He specialized in torture and interrogation, he gave me that scar when he used a scalpel to cut out two strips of flesh out of my side and tried to feed it to me. They would beat me until my aura fell and then they would get to work, cutting me up like a hog but I wouldn't give up my team." Carmine explained as he rubbed the scar on his arm.

As they chatted amongst themselves, the radar alarm blared as it announced the presence of something large in the water. Carmine stood up out of his chair and walked over to the monitor, he adjusted the screen as a large green blip popped up on the screen followed by several smaller blips that quickly dissipated but the large one remained. A giant dorsal fin rose out of the water but quickly went back under the surface, Carmine slid over to the monitor to his right and started to type in commands to the ship's defense system and one by one the side guns came to life.

"Laurel activate the depth finder and give me a sit rep on this thing!" Carmine said as he entered the defense parameters into the side guns 'target=positive=grimm=engage (friendly=human;faunus=disengage)' Carmine tapped enter and stepped away from the console, Laurel watched depth finder screen as Regalia grabbed her Honey Badger that was leaning against the wall "I got it! It's off to the port side and is swinging around to the starboard side." Laurel said as the giant fin rose out of the water once again, the ship rocked as the beast bumped into it and shook the crew inside of it. Carmine pulled the main throttle back and let the Valor float freely without any propulsion, the room was quiet as they waited for the beast to make its next move.

Celadon moved over to the main gun targeting system and moved the joystick, the main guns rose to life as they slowly raised up into the sky. Cobalt ran into the room from the cargo hold "Everything is secure, we should be good. When did Carmine get here?" Cobalt asked confused, Celadon sighed and patted Cobalt on the shoulder "I guess we should tell him." Celadon said, Verde chuckled "That thing has been tailing us since Mistral, they didn't want to wake you since you've been working so hard." Verde explained as he scratched his chin, Carmine lowered his head as he thought about what was just said "I really appreciate it guys but next time, if there is something like this then please let me know." Carmine said as he placed his hands behind his head. The targeting alarm blared as the starboard guns started to fire, the large rounds ripped through the dorsal fin that had rose out of the water and in an instant, the guns fell silent again.

The ship shook as a Sea Feilong rose from the water and roared in anger "Oh, it looks pissed!" Yang said as she watched the sea dragon that stood out of the water, it reared its head back and breathed a bolt of lightning that hit the bow of the ship. The phalanx cannons spun up and ripped into the serpent's face, it roared in pain as the bullets ripped into its hardened body, Carmine grabbed the joystick and moved the stream of bullets to rip through its wings. The bullets shredded the thin red wings into strands that blew around in the wind, the sea dragon roared in pain before it dove back underwater. The dragon circled the battleship underwater before it breached from the port side, the 127mm guns sprung to life and fired into the sea dragon, the casings ejected out the sides of the smaller turrets as the rounds shot from the twin barrels.

The rounds hit the Sea Feilong and ripped into its chest, the rounds exploded on impact and ripped the Grimm apart before it exploded into black smoke, the autocannons fell silent again as they went back into their resting position. Verde pushed himself off the wall and walked out of the bridge, he grabbed a large broom and swept the spent shells into the ocean "Wait, isn't that pollution?" Sun asked about the spent artillery shells, Carmine shook his head "No, they sink to the bottom and become artificial reefs for the fish and sea life." Carmine said as he pushed the throttle forward again.

Jaune cleared his throat "So you were telling us about the scars on your side." Jaune said, reminding Carmine of what they were talking about "Ah right, yeah I got captured by the Grimm Reapers and was rescued by my team, the Grimm Reapers were the evilest people we ever encountered, I mean they raped, murdered, kidnapped, tortured, and sold people on the black market. So, when we hunted them down, we didn't arrest them but put a bullet in their head and set their corpses on fire. There were eleven of them: Diablo, Loki, Cerberus, Leviathan, Abaddon, Astaroth, Alastor, Belial, Lilith, Paimon, and Sabnock. Diablo was their leader, Loki was second in command and led the assault on the Schnee Gala a few years back." Carmine explained as he looked out the window over the bow of the ship.

"Is that who you fought that night?" A voice asked from behind the group of people, Carmine turned around and saw Weiss standing in the doorway. "Yeah, the one called Loki was waiting for you in your bedroom but thankfully you went somewhere else." Carmine said as he leaned against the main console, Weiss looked down at the floor as she put her hands behind "I… I do remember that night and I remember you saving me from the men who busted down the front door." Weiss said as she fought back tears, Carmine tilted his head in curiosity "So what brought the memories back?" Carmine asked, Weiss looked up at the rifleman and walked closer to him.

She placed her hand on his chest and looked into his crimson red eyes "It was your scent, it was one I could never forget." Weiss said as she wrapped her arms around his torso, Blake leaned against the doorframe and looked at the pair "It's kind of funny, both of your girlfriends have had prior encounters with you when your team was alive." Laurel said as he read the radar.

Blake walked over and joined in their embrace, Carmine placed his forehead against the top of her head as the scent of strawberries rushed his nose combined with the scent of vanilla coming from Weiss's hair "Mmm, strawberry-vanilla, my favorite." Carmine said as he savored the smell.

Qrow walked forward and stared at Carmine "Wait, we were locked up together right?!" Qrow asked, Carmine nodded "Yeah, my brothers had to come bail us out." Carmine said as he wrapped his arms around Blake and Weiss, Oscar walked up and looked up at Carmine "Ozpin says that Sapphire was very polite to everyone and she wouldn't stop talking about you." Oscar said as he looked up at Carmine, Carmine smiled as he fought back tears "I bet she wouldn't stop, that's just how she was." The rifleman said as he looked up at the ceiling.

As they conversed, Verde walked back into the bridge "Hey Carmine, you might want to check this out." Verde said, Blake and Weiss let him go before he followed Verde out onto the deck. Verde pointed at a shape in the distance that was covered up by fog, Carmine looked at the gunner "Can you do anything about that?" He asked, Verde nodded and placed his feet shoulder width apart, he put his fist together as the wind around them started to pick up. The gusts of wind blew across the ocean as they slowly pushed the fog away and revealed a slightly submerged Atlas patrol vessel.

"Celadon! Rifle!" Carmine called toward the bridge, within minutes Celadon leaped over the railing and jogged over to Carmine with 'Charon' in hand. Carmine took the rifle and looked down the scope as he pointed it toward the submerged craft, he noted that it had a hole in the side of the hull along with burn marks "It looks like it either hit a sea mine or it was hit by a torpedo. It looks like it's been there for a while though there's no telling what happened." Carmine said as he handed the rifle back to Celadon.

Just then a medium sized vessel came out from behind an island and cut across the open ocean, Carmine and Celadon raced back to the bridge while Verde caused fog to rise from the ocean water. Carmine ran into the bridge "All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill." Carmine said as he activated the Valor's counter-measure system, the attacking ship had two 25mm autocannons on the front and two quad barrel MK-60 missile launchers that fired AGM-176 Griffin missiles. "Cyclone-class patrol boat off the port bow." Carmine said as bullets bounced off the hull that the patrol boat fired at them.

Carmine activated the laser designator on the bow and targeted the patrol boat "Come on! A little more." Carmine said as the designator locked onto the vessel, Carmine tapped the screen labeled 'TLAM-1' and pressed a red button that began flashing.

A cover in the middle of the Valor raised up as smoke started to rise from it, a BGM-109 Cruise Missile shot out of the chamber before the jet engine engaged and thrusted the missile into the sky, the bridge watched as it raced across the sky and impacted the patrol boat.

The boat exploded into a ball of fire as a mushroom cloud of smoke rose into the sky, the shockwave raced across the ocean and rocked the Valor as it hit the side of the ship. "What was that?! Who were they?" Yang asked confused, Carmine chuckled "That was a Cruise Missile and they were pirates." Carmine said the burning wreckage sunk into the ocean.

"Pirates?! Out here?!" Cobalt asked confused, but Regalia nudged him in the shoulder and pointed at the holo-map "We're in international waters now and I have a feeling that their base of operations is nearby." Regalia said as she pointed at the island, Yang punched her fists together "Then let's go give them a piece of our mind." Yang said as she was gung-ho on fighting them, Carmine chuckled "Nah, we'll just give them a little salvo barrage." Carmine said as Laurel walked over to the joystick on one of the consoles and shifted it right, Carmine spun the wheel to the left and caused the ship to turn left, the main batteries shifted right as they lined up.

A screen lowered down and displayed a targeting range of the main guns, Carmine pulled back on the throttle and let it slow to a stop as it sat seventeen miles from the island. "Laurel, please activate the eye in the sky protocol." Carmine said as he watched the screen, Laurel nodded and pressed a button on the screen. A MQ-8 Fire Scout rose out of the back and took off into the sky, Celadon shifted a joystick forward as he piloted the drone toward the island.

"Sir, visual is coming up on the screen." Celadon said as the screen displayed a collection of buildings on the island, armed people walked around the makeshift village while others loaded weapons and boarded small boats. Celadon pulled back on the joystick as the pirates started firing at the drone, within minutes the drone returned and landed in the back of the ship.

Carmine pulled back on the joystick which caused the barrels to raise up into the air, a line trajectory popped up on the map and displayed the circle of impact of the shells. The radius closed tighter before Carmine pressed a button labeled 'Fire all'.

All sixteen barrels exploded and rocked the ship as the 406mm shells exploded out of the guns and screamed across the sky, everyone on the bridge watched as the shells impacted the makeshift village and peppered the ground in explosions.

The explosions ripped through the wooden buildings and ultimately leveled the village of pirates, Carmine pushed the throttle forward and turned the ship back on course toward Atlas.

"So, pirates. I didn't actually think those were real." Yang said as she crossed her arms, Carmine chuckled "They're just water bandits. Right, Verde." Carmine said before he looked over at his gunner, Verde shook his head and laughed "Water bandits, that's a good one." Verde said as he leaned against the wall again. Carmine looked out over the bow as the ship pushed through the water, the radio feed clicked and crackled as a frequency came through the speakers.

"So Carmine, where are you heading to now?" A voice asked through the radio, Celadon walked over to the console and picked up the handset for Carmine "Wouldn't you like to know, Torchwick." Carmine said with venom on his tongue, a chuckle came through the speaker before the line cut out.

Carmine pulled back on the throttle just as a VTOL flew overhead, the Bullhead hovered overhead as the Battleship slowed to a stop, the radio crackled again as the side of the Bullhead opened and revealed Torchwick who held on to one of the straps with a robotic arm "Alright you little rat, let's finish this once and for all." Torchwick said before the VTOL flew off to an island in the distance, Carmine was about to head for the airship when Blake and Weiss moved in front of him.

"We won't let you go alone, take us with you." Weiss said, Carmine wrapped his arms around his two ladies and pulled them into his embrace "I promise nothing will happen, I'll finish this and then get us to Atlas." Carmine said before he kissed them both on the lips, the rifleman turned around to look at Oscar who let Ozpin take over his body "Finish this, Mr. Sable." Ozpin said as the others nodded in agreement.

Nora cracked her knuckles "Break his legs, do it for Beacon.!" Nora said, the others rallied around her as Carmine walked into the armory to prep his gear. Laurel and Verde followed him in as he was pulling on his black hoodie, Laurel lifted the Heavy IBA up and lowered it down over his body. Verde pulled the straps tight on one side as Laurel tightened the other side, Carmine pulled on his steel plated, carbon fiber gloves and strapped them on.

Carmine pulled on his steel toe boots and laced them up as Laurel prepped his bag for him, Laurel loaded his bag with magazines of regular, fire, ice, electricity, and gravity dust ammo along with a few fire dust grenades.

Carmine sheathed his Ka-Bar and picked his gas mask up off the table, he holstered his weapons one by one. "S&W 500 Magnum, Ithaca 37, MP7." Carmine said as he clicked a button on the side and transformed it into its Bowie Knife form before he switched it back and holstered it.

Carmine loaded a fresh magazine of .308 and slapped it into his Scar-H, he pulled back the bolt and chambered a round into the receiver, he clicked the rifle's safety on and switched it to its sword variant before he switched it back and attached it onto his bag. Carmine pulled the bag on with the straps on his shoulders, Laurel checked the magazine in the tactical Five-Seven before he handed it back to the rifleman.

Carmine pulled the slide back and chambered a round before he put the pistol into his waistline, he covered the handle with his hoodie. Carmine hooked the gas mask onto his tactical belt and let it hang down, Carmine walked out of the armory with the gunner and the breacher following behind him.

Carmine walked back onto the bridge and got everyone's attention "Alright, I'm going to go take care of this. I'll be back in a bit, Celadon take overwatch on the bow and Regalia, keep an eye on the map and radar.

Weiss, could you give me boost there?" Carmine asked his white-haired girlfriend, she giggled nervously "Y-Yeah, just, please be careful, okay?" Weiss said before she followed him outside, she wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly "I love you, Carmine." Weiss said as he looked out over the ocean, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply, he broke the kiss as a string of saliva connected their lips "I love you too, Weiss." Carmine said before she formed a glyph on the deck behind him.

Carmine stepped onto the glyph and stared at the island as Weiss raised him into the air slowly, he pulled on his gas mask and tightened it onto his head as the glyph powered up, Ozpin's voice came into his head 'Remember your landing strategy.' Ozpin's voice echoed through his head. Carmine crouched down as Weiss shot him through the air toward the Island, as he neared the island he charged his supernova in his right hand "I sure hope you were right, Thomas. Wherever you are." Carmine said as he started to descend toward the island.

Carmine detonated the supernova above the ground and created an air cushion which allowed him to roll to a stop, he shot up off the ground and raised his rifle at the man in a bowler hat. "I really wish you would just died on the ground as Beacon burned to the ground." Torchwick said as he raised his cane, Carmine chuckled "Come now, Roman, you know that is just not my style." Carmine said as he clicked the safety off.

Roman fired two shots at Carmine who rolled out of the way and fired six rounds at the man, Torchwick projected his aura outward to block the bullets but Carmine used this as an advantage and transformed his rifle into its Saber variant. He slashed at the man, but he parried with his cane, the two fought as they pushed their weapons against each other. Roman attempted to thrust his knee into Carmine's gut but he blocked it with his elbow that he slammed into Torchwick's chest.

Torchwick stumbled backward as Carmine ran forward and kicked him in the chest with a straight kick, followed by a roundhouse and a heel kick across the face that sent him to the ground. Torchwick pushed himself off the ground as Carmine put his rifle onto his bag, he bounced in place and jabbed at the air "Let's go, Roman! I'm fired up now, so show me that face of yours so I can beat it in." Carmine said as Roman stood up and brushed off his jacket. "Aren't you curious as to why the 184th attacked you?" Roman asked as he tried to provoke Carmine, the rifleman chuckled "Well, I figured you fed them the wrong information and wanted us to kill each other. So, where is Titus?" Carmine asked, Roman laughed to himself "Buried somewhere in Mistral, I didn't do the dirty work." Roman said.

Carmine pulled out his scroll and flipped through his contacts until he found Titus "Well, seeing as we're on the outskirts of Anima, I figure our scrolls should still connect." Carmine said as he pressed call, the dial tone rang three times before someone answered.

"Go for Titus." A man said on the other end of the line, Carmine chuckled "Titus, it's Carmine! How are you doing you son of a bitch?" Carmine asked, Titus laughed "Carmine! It's good to hear from you, son. I heard about Beacon, I'm so sorry." Titus said, Carmine nodded "Yeah, it sucked. Hey, listen, I got a question for you then I got to run." Carmine explained.

"Shoot." Titus said, Carmine looked at Roman who was lighting a cigar "Have you been in contact with a man named Roman Torchwick?" Carmine asked, Titus paused for a few seconds "No but Aero founded out that he was in contact with Diablo." Titus said, Carmine suddenly remembered that they never got to Diablo, Diablo managed to escape when the Joint Operations team of the Wolf Pack and 184th Mistral Militia zeroed in on him. "Thanks man, that's all I needed. You take care, bro." Carmine said before he closed his scroll.

"So, you tried to revive the Grimm Reapers, huh. Yeah, we killed all of them except for one and that one was the fucking leader." Carmine said as he fixed his gloves, Torchwick snuffed out his cigar and spun his cane around "Ready to dance?" Roman asked, Carmine raised his fists and moved his feet shoulder width apart "Ready when you are, fuckboy." Carmine said before Roman dashed forward and swung down at Carmine, he raised his arm up and blocked the cane strike. The handle shot out and wrapped around his legs, Roman swept him off his feet but he put his hands down and caught himself, he used his tethered feet to strike Roman in the jaw with both feet.

The tether came undone as Roman stumbled backward, Carmine stood up and ran toward Roman. The rifleman tackled him and proceeded to ground and pound him, Carmine straddled his chest and proceeded to wail on him repeatedly "This is for Onyx!" Carmine yelled as he punched him in the face repeatedly "This is for Nightshade!" He yelled again as he grabbed his wrist and broke it in one quick movement.

"This is for Crimson!" Carmine yelled as he dislocated his shoulder. "This is for Grullo!" Carmine yelled as he unsheathed his knife and stabbed it into Roman's thigh. "This is for Keppel!" Carmine yelled as he broke the man's nose. Roman coughed up blood as he laid in agonizing pain, Carmine stood up and looked at the man. "This is for me." Carmine said as he pulled out the 500 Magnum and shot Roman in the head.

The gunshot echoed across the open ocean, Roman laid on the ground as blood leaked from his open wounds and the massive one in his head. Carmine shot Roman repeatedly until the revolver was dry and clicked against the spent shells, Carmine ejected the spent shells and loaded five fresh rounds before he closed the cylinder. He put the revolver back into the holster and clicked it closed, he reached down and pulled the Ka-Bar from the fresh corpse, he wiped the blood onto Roman's white bloodstained coat before he sheathed it again.

Carmine spun around and looked at the giant Battleship that sat on the calm ocean, suddenly dozens of glyphs formed on the side of the ship and across the ocean all the way until it stopped at his feet. Carmine stepped onto the glyph and was suddenly sent flying across the top of the water and up the side of the ship to where Weiss was standing with her rapier extended outward.

As she lowered her rapier, the glyphs disappeared, and Weiss's knees buckled, Carmine moved forward quickly and caught her in his arms. She looked up into his crimson red visor and smiled at him "My hero." Weiss said flirtatiously, Carmine carried her back into the main bridge and sat her down in a chair.

Carmine sat down in a chair and pulled his gas mask off as he took a deep breath, he looked at the roof and sighed "It's over. It's finally over, he's fucking dead." Carmine said as he leaned back against the chair, he held his hand up "Laurel, target VTOL with secondary cannons." Carmine said as he stared at the roof.

The autocannons rotated left and raised up slightly, two of the guns fired and sent two 127mm shells down range as the Battleship started to pull away. The shells impacted the beach and blew the VTOL apart, Roman's burning corpse was sent flying through the air until a Nevermore snatched it out of the air and swallowed it. The autocannons raised and fired on the giant flying Grimm.

The 127mm ripped through the flying Grimm and caused it to explode in midair, the Nevermore was reduced to smoking hunks of Grimm bits. The chunks of Grimm crashed into the water and dissipated slowly into the sea, the guns returned to their resting positions as the ship pushed through the water.

"Well, Roman's gone so that just leaves Adam, Hazel, Mercury, Emerald, Cinder, Arthur Watts, and Raven. Am I missing anyone?" Carmine asked as he made a list in his head, but Regalia was next to him writing down the names. "Uh, how about Tyrian Callows." Ruby said while standing next to Yang.

"Tyrian? Eh, add him to the list. At this point, we can never be too careful now." Carmine said the ship sailed through the open ocean.

Carmine looked out the window "I can't believe Penny was a robot." Celadon said, Carmine chuckled to himself "We were on ground zero when Penny was being transported to Atlas, her acronym was P.E.N.N.I or Pseudo-Emotionality Neuro-Network Intelligence. We had to get her out of Vacuo, there was a Dust Scud that went off and it was during the chaos, that I was kidnapped by the Grimm Reapers." Carmine said, everyone looked at him surprised.

"Everyday, we learn something new about you." Blake said as she sat beside Carmine, Weiss sat to his left and rested her head onto his shoulder, Carmine stood up and walked out of the bridge, he looked out over the bow and looked up into the sky, he opened his mouth and exhaled a large cloud of steam into the air. The white cloud floated up and dissipated into the sea air, Carmine turned around and walked back into the bridge. He sat back down between his two ladies and resumed their Moment of Zen,

"I never asked, but when did I happen to stab you?" Blake asked as she lifted her head and looked at Carmine, he sighed and scratched the back of his head "You remember the day on the train when half of the train cars suddenly exploded and was ripped apart?" Carmine asked, Blake nodded as she looked at her boyfriend. "Well, it was on that day. I guess you remember the six men who boarded the train and went after the man in the steel mask, right." Carmine asked, Blake nodded again. "Well, I was the guy you faced off against on the top of the train, we did a number on each other." Carmine said as he laughed lightly.

The Valor sailed through the ocean until it was surrounded by open blue as far as the eye could see, Carmine walked over to the map and examined it closely "Hey, there's an island nearby. How about that vacation I promised you?" Carmine asked as he adjusted the course.

After thirty minutes of sailing, the Valor pulled up close to a large Island and dropped anchor off both the port and starboard bow. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you'll make your way to the Harbinger, I will gladly escort you to a proper summer vacation." Carmine said as he led them to the airship.

Everyone boarded the Harbinger as Carmine jogged to the cockpit and initiated the start up sequence, he flipped a series of switches before he turned the key and fired up the engines. The Harbinger took off slowly into the sky before it flew toward the island, the airship circled slowly before it landed in a clearing and extended its landing gear. Sand and palm leaves were blown across the island as the engines cut off and the walkway extended to the ground. Everyone walked out confused "Carmine, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we don't have any swimwear." Ruby said which caused him to mentally facepalm.

"Right, shit. I totally forgot, I was so used to para-military lifestyle, I forgot what normal people did." Carmine said, Cobalt flew up into the sky and looked around the island as he hovered. An object in the middle of the island grabbed his attention "Hey! Carmine! I see something over here!" Cobalt yelled as he flew toward the object, Carmine and company took off running toward the object.

When got to the location, they found the crashed remains of a cargo transport that had been taken down by, from the look of the claw marks, a Nevermore. Laurel ripped open the side hatch and pulled out crates "Hey look, they have clothes inside of them." Laurel said as he opened the boxes.

"Well, what do you know. Plot convenience saves the day again." Carmine said as the huntsmen and huntresses dug through the clothes to find their sizes, they all managed to find swim wear that fit them perfectly. Laurel chuckled "What was that you said about moving a plotline?" He asked sarcastically, Carmine shook his head as he walked around the crashed airship.

He found the skeleton of the pilot against a tree, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and the bones in his legs were fractured and broken. "You poor soul, out here alone and scared. Your legs broken and in so much pain, you take your own life because of approaching Grimm." Carmine said as he examined the tattered clothing he wore. Carmine grabbed a piece of metal and used it to dig a grave for the deceased man, Blake and Weiss walked around the corner but stopped when they saw Carmine at work digging a hole.

He dug a four-foot hole in the island and dragged the body into the hole, he knelt beside the grave and said a mantra to himself as he seemed to bless the remains. He scrapped the dirt and sand back into the grave to cover the skeleton completely, he jammed the metal into the ground as a makeshift headstone "May you find peace, friend. Rest easy and let your soul be free." Carmine said as he stood back up.

He turned around to see Blake and Weiss standing there watching him "How much did you see?" He asked, Weiss giggled "All of it, that was so sweet of you." She said with a smile on her face, he smiled back as he walked over to the two girls he loved.

"Hey Carmine! Let's go!" Celadon said before he leaped into the water, he looked at his girlfriends and realized they weren't in their normal clothes anymore, Blake donned a black two piece with white stripes and Weiss wore a white and red two piece. Carmine led his girlfriends to the beach and climbed up on a rock "What all did you find, Laurel?" Carmine asked, Laurel chuckled "Well, literally everything we needed; clothes, food, accessories." Laurel said as Cobalt flew over and landed on a palm tree that was growing sideways.

"Good job on the find, Cobalt." Carmine said praising the eagle Faunus. He bowed his head in appreciation, Carmine stared out over the ocean as Blake and Weiss laid out on two beach towels in the sand. Ruby, Yang, and Nora swam in the ocean while Ren and Laurel sparred with each other, Celadon did up-downs and pushups in the back with Verde and Jaune while Regalia practiced her hand to hand with Ilia and Sun. Qrow sat against a tree and drank while Oscar felt awkward, Carmine noticed and whistled him over "Uh… Sir?" Oscar asked nervously, Carmine looked at him "Listen man, you don't need to feel nervous or anything, you got one hell of a spirit guide within you. He can help you with whatever you need." Carmine said as he referred to Ozpin.

"You're right, sir. Thank you." Oscar said as his posture became more open and he joined the Ren and Laurel to help get better at hand to hand. "You did good, kid." Qrow said as he walked over to Carmine, the rifleman looked up at Qrow "You think so?" He asked as he looked over the scene of tranquility, Qrow chuckled "You definitely aren't the same haphazard guy I shared a cell with." Qrow said as he playfully slugged Carmine in the arm.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting on the horizon and the air had started to get crisp "Alright guys, back to the Harbinger." Carmine said as he made his way toward the airship. Everyone boarded and took a place in the cockpit, Carmine fired the engines up and took off toward the battleship. They slowly landed and exited the airship as the sun had finally set, Carmine looked out at the island and could have sworn he saw someone wave to him. He waved back and watched as the person disappear back into the brush, Weiss and Blake looked at him confused "Who are you waving to?" Weiss asked, Carmine smiled "Someone who gets to rest now." Carmine said as he led them back into the ship.

He lifted the anchors back into the ship and pushed the throttle forward before they slowly pulled away from the island and got back on course for Atlas. Everyone looked tired and content as they sat around the bridge "Hey guys, the quarters are down the hall to the left and down the stairs. You guys go rest." Carmine said as he sailed the ship.

Slowly one by one, everyone made their way toward the quarters while Blake and Weiss went to the Captain's quarters. Carmine was left alone on the bridge except for one person. "Jaune, what can I do for you?" Carmine asked, Jaune stared at the ground in thought "Wha… How? How can you be okay with all this?" Jaune asked as he sat down next to the rifleman, Carmine looked at the ground and sighed "It's because I'm not Carmine, the real Carmine died years ago in a Helicopter crash." The rifleman said, Jaune stepped back and drew his sword but Carmine busted out laughing "Oh god, you should have seen your face." Carmine said laughing.

Jaune sheathed his sword and looked at the rifleman "What is wrong with you?" He asked, Carmine looked at the blonde and got serious. "Listen man, after all the shit I've been through, this isn't something new. It's kind of like a repeat, but I learned that you got to slow down and laugh occasionally, or you'll go insane from all the bullshit life throws at you." Carmine said as he turned the ship's navigation flood lights on and illuminated the dark sea.

"You should go get some sleep." Carmine said to Jaune, the swordsman was hesitant at first but left to go to bed. The bridge was now barren except for Carmine, his smile quickly disappeared as he looked to the corner of the room where a man in black stood "How long have you been there?" Carmine asked, the man shrugged "A little bit before blonde boy left. How you been Carmine?" The man asked, Carmine shrugged "I feel like I've been through the ringer man, I've been shot, stabbed, blown up, thrown off a tower, and tortured multiple times. I'm honestly getting tired of this and just want to retire but I guess once in the life, in it forever." Carmine said as he stood up.

He walked up to the man and wrapped his arms around him "It's so good to see you, Carmine." The man said, Carmine squeezed him tight "It's great to see you too, Phantom." Carmine said as he held the man in a bear hug.

 **A/N: WHAT?! Phantom?! If you don't know who Phantom is, I recommend you read RWBY: Wolf Pack to understand the back story. New chapters will be better than this pile of hot garbage when the new season starts. I'm writing a collaboration story with The Burning Ruler and RebelKira called Team BAWM. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, and as always, This is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	17. Chapter 17: Detour

Ch. 17 – Detour

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review. Before I begin, I just want to give a shout out to Bobbyax1; your review made my week and made me feel proud of all my hard work, so I wanted to say thank you. – Nightmare.**

"So, how've you been Phantom?" Carmine asked as he sat back down in the captain's chair, Phantom leaned against the console and stared out into the night covered sea, the flood lights shimmered off the waves that rippled in front of the battleship. "Well Titan, you remember the fight against the Iron Hammer, right?" Phantom asked, Carmine shuddered "How could I forget, that behemoth tore through a forest like it was nothing. It was fortunate that Harlequin had her 35th Bombing Regiment come in to save our ass. Mercs stick together." Carmine said as he recounted the events from the past.

"Well, they broke down the components of the Iron Hammer and ultimately the 184th Militia stored the blueprints deep in a vault." Phantom said, Carmine nodded as he adjusted some switches. "How's your leg been?" Carmine asked, Phantom reached down and rubbed the side of his leg "Eh, it tingles when it gets cold, but other than that, Bubba did a great job fixing it up." Phantom said as he sat down in a chair.

"Sorry again about that, I was just so pissed." Carmine said as he apologized to the masked man, Phantom shook his head "Don't feel sorry, we kidnapped you and it was a just reaction. You were ultimately justified in, hell, I should apologize to you." Phantom said as twisted back and forth in his chair. "Oh, I found the files you wanted me to get for you." Phantom said as he pulled out a folder labeled 'confidential'. Carmine took the file and examined it, he read the name to himself; 'Zaffre, Sapphire'. He had to keep himself from tearing up as he stared at the name, "I got it from the hospital back in Vale." Phantom said as Carmine read 'Medical File: Deceased' that was stamped on the front of the folder.

He opened the folder and flipped through the documents "Carmine, be careful. You might see something, you don't want to." Phantom warned the rifleman, Carmine nodded as he flipped to the autopsy report. '19-year-old female brought into ER with arrow to the chest. Surgeon attempted to remove arrow, but arrow shattered, and arrowhead shattered and splintered into left ventricle and right atrium. Patient succumbed to wounds within minutes, boyfriend needed to be physically removed from ER. Autopsy revealed glass shards in right atrium and left ventricle, patient was three weeks pregnant.' Carmine's heart dropped when he read the last part.

His face went cold white as the folder dropped to the ground, Phantom shot up out of his chair "Carmine? Are you alright?" Phantom asked as Carmine stared out the window in silence. Phantom picked the folder up and read the paper, his face went pale as he read the same line that Carmine had read.

"Carmine, I'm so, so sorry." Phantom said as he sat down and dropped his head as Carmine remained silent. "I was going to be a father." Carmine said in a deadpan tone, he looked up at the ceiling and chuckled lightly to himself. Carmine got up and walked out onto the deck of the ship, he looked up into the night sky "Sweetheart, we were going to be a family? I knew you very excited for a reason, but I wish I caught on sooner." Carmine said out loud as he gazed into the night sky. He felt a warm embrace as he stood in the cold night air, he smiled as the smell of pineapple and coconut filled his nose, he smiled as the memory of Sapphire filled his mind.

Carmine turned around and walked back onto the command deck, Phantom was standing in the middle of the room "You okay?" Phantom asked concerned, Carmine nodded "Yeah, I just had to talk to her, I could feel her warmth and I could smell her scent around me." Carmine said as he sat down in the captain's chair.

"So, where are y'all off to now?" Phantom asked, Carmine scratched his chin and looked out over the dark sea. "Well, we got to get to Atlas, so we're sailing there." Carmine said, Phantom shook his head "You won't get there easily, Atlas shut their borders." Phantom explained, Carmine rubbed his head "Well shit." Carmine sighed.

"You could try Argus, but you won't be able to sail there since this ship is still registered as 'stolen' or 'missing', you'll have to go there via train." Phantom explained, he pulled up the holo-map and pointed to a train station. "Here, you'll have to take the Argus Limited to Argus." Phantom said as he marked a nearby port.

"Argus is home of the largest military base outside of Atlas itself, that's why this ship shouldn't get anywhere near it." A voice said from behind the two men, Carmine turned around to see Qrow standing in the doorway. "So, what should we do?" Carmine asked as he pulled back the lever on the control board.

"What about that airship of yours?" Qrow asked, but Carmine shook his head "I think it's low on dust and needs to be refilled." Carmine said as he propped his feet up, Phantom snapped his fingers as he thought of an idea. "Alright, so we stop at this depot near the train station and you lead them on the train, leave behind two of your people as a skeleton crew. Y'all head to Argus and we'll dock near Argus until you get there and let them know what's up." Phantom said, Carmine scratched his chin in thought.

"Man, that seems like a lot more hassle than it should be, but whatever." Carmine said as he stood up and grabbed the wheel, he pushed the throttle forward slowly as he navigated toward the nearest port. "Hey, you go rest, I'll navigate." Phantom said as he grabbed the wheel, Carmine nodded before he walked back to the captain's quarters.

He unclipped his gear and sat them on the floor next to the door, he pulled off his hoodie and tossed it to the floor followed by his tactical belt, he climbed into bed between his two ladies and got under the covers. He wrapped his arms around Blake's waist while Weiss held onto his chest, he nuzzled into her neck as he slipped into a deep sleep.

 ***The Next Day***

The sound of fog horns woke Blake, Carmine, and Weiss up, Carmine climbed out of bed and stretched as Blake and Weiss climbed out after him. Blake kissed him on the lips before she disappeared to the bathroom, Carmine threw his gear back on and left for the bridge. Phantom leaned against the wall while Qrow drank from his flask "We're docked and there's a transport waiting to take you guys to the station." Phantom said as Carmine walked over to a microphone, he pressed a button and activated all the speakers on the ship.

"All hands report to the bridge, I repeat, all hands report to the bridge." Carmine said before he released the button. After couple minutes, every person on the ship was standing in the bridge "We're here, what's up?" Laurel asked as Carmine paced back and forth, he turned and looked at the people standing in front of him.

"First off, I want to introduce you all to Phantom." Carmine said as he gestured the man in the back, Phantom nodded to them "Don't worry guys, I defected a long time ago." Phantom said as he tried to quell the tension in the room. "Secondly, we're going to a train station to go to Argus." Carmine said as he pointed to the holo-map. Laurel raised his hand "Why don't we take the Valor there?" Laurel asked, Carmine shook his head "This ship is still registered as stolen or missing, so it wouldn't be good to roll up with this stolen ship. I'm sure they would treat us as hostile, so Phantom is going to take it for us to Argus while we take the train there, after we reach Argus, I'll inform them that the ship is in my possession now and I'll present my credentials to the military. We'll have the Valor dock, restock munitions, fill up on dust on the airship, and get access through the Atlas lockdown." Carmine explained, he accessed the map "So, Verde and Cobalt will stay back on the ship while we go on foot. So, go stock up and get ready, we leave in an hour." Carmine said before he dismissed everyone.

Carmine walked into the armory and grabbed a box of .308, he started loading thirty round magazines that he placed into the magazine holders on his IBA. He grabbed boxes of 4.6×30mm, 5.7x28mm, .500 Magnum, and .12 Gauge shells off a shelf, he filled up magazine after magazine that he placed in the pouches on his side and on his tactical belt, he slid shells into loops on his shoulders and chest. He picked up his Ithaca 37 off the table but put it down when he saw a Kel-Tec KSG on a rack, he picked it off the rack and loaded fourteen shells into the shotgun.

Laurel took the shotgun and hooked it to the clip on his back, he collapsed the stock on the shotgun and tightened the strap of the clip. "Damn dude, you are armed for the apocalypse." Celadon said as he slapped a fresh magazine into his G36. Carmine looked down at his weapons "Let's see: SCAR-H, MP7, FN Five – Seven, Kel-Tec, .500 Magnum, and my Ka-Bar as well as a few hand grenades and a few sticks of C4. Yeah, basically I am." Carmine said as he slipped on his boots and laced them up.

Regalia loaded her Honey Badger and UMP – 45 with .300 AAC Blackout rounds and .45 ACP, she slapped the mags into the SMGs and put spare mags in a bag. Laurel loaded 12 Gauge slug dust rounds into his Stryker, he placed it on his back before he grabbed a P227 and slapped a fresh mag into the pistol, he put the handgun into a holster and clipped the strap closed.

Yang loaded shotgun shells into her gauntlets, Ruby loaded .338 Lapua Magnum rounds into her scythe, Nora loaded .40mm dust grenades into her launcher, Ren loaded 9mm rounds into his SMGs, and Blake loaded her sword pistol with .40 caliber rounds. Carmine looked at Sun "You loading up?" Carmine asked but Sun shook his head "I'll be heading back to Vacuo with my team." Sun said as he placed his AK-103 on the table, Carmine nodded as he understood what Sun was saying.

Carmine led everyone out of the armory and back to the bridge "Alright Phantom, we're taking off now, stay in contact and let me know what is going on." Carmine said as he shook his hand, he walked up to Verde and whispered into his ear "Don't let him out of your sight." Carmine said, Verde nodded subtly as they walked out of the door on to the deck. "Do you trust Phantom?" Laurel asked, Carmine looked down at the steel deck of the ship.

"Honestly yes, but I trust him like I trust a bee. If he stings me, he will die." Carmine said as they walked down the ramp to the concrete dock below where a large van waited, Carmine turned around and watched as his backed out of dock slowly, the fog horn blared loudly as it backed out into the ocean and turned. The twin thrusters in the rear kicked up a massive wave as it was thrown into gear and pulled away from the port.

"Godspeed, you beautiful bastard." Carmine said before he turned around and climbed into the van. Qrow got into the driver seat and drove down the road, Carmine pulled out his scroll and displayed a map of mistral that showed their current location and he marked the location of the train station. He sat back and closed his eyes as he exhaled slowly, after twenty minutes of driving, they arrived at station. They all got out of the vehicle and walked inside, team RWBY and JNR sat down on a bench, a couple hours passed while they all got situated with some getting food or clothing from the stores.

Qrow deposited a letter while Carmine scoped out the area, he looked around until he noticed that Blake, Sun, and Ilia were missing. He jogged up a staircase to find Blake and Ilia talking, Carmine walked up next to Blake and wrapped his arm around her waist "I still don't feel like I deserve the freedom you and your family granted me." Ilia said as she held her arm.

"Well, you're going to have to get over it, Ilia. Saving Haven had a huge impact on how Faunus are seen in Mistral. Now it's up to you all to take the progress and keep running with it." Blake said as Carmine let go of her, Ilia smiled "Right. The White Fang may have been a failure, but with your father starting up a new movement, I've got more faith than ever before." Ilia said before she hugged Blake "Thank you, Blake, for everything. I wish you didn't have to go." Ilia said as she started to get choked up.

"I know, but my team needs me. We're going to track down the people responsible for the attack on Haven and the fall of Beacon. I also got to make sure this big lug doesn't get himself killed." Blake said as he patted Carmine on the chest. Ilia giggled "Always trying to save the world." Ilia said, Blake rolled her eyes "More than you realize." Blake said giggling, Ilia rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hey, I know your parents already saw you off, but where's-?" Ilia asked before Sun popped in out of nowhere "Sun? Oh, he's right here!" Sun said as he referred to himself in the third person. Neptune popped out from behind Sun's back "He definitely overslept and absolutely almost missed this." Neptune said, Carmine looked at Sun "You fell asleep that fast?" Carmine asked, Sun shook his head "Pssh, what? No." Sun said as he tried to make an excuse, Neptune shook his head "Totally." Neptune said.

"Hey, Blake." Neptune said to Blake before he turned to Sun "Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan?" Neptune said as he scolded the blonde-haired man, he looked up and saw Ilia standing there. "Oh, I didn't know Ilia was gonna be here. I'll, uh, I'll give you two a moment. Hey, almost didn't see you there, 'cause, you know, the camouflage?" Neptune said to Ilia, Carmine facepalmed and sighed.

"Neptune. Just go." Carmine said, Neptune walked away with his hands raised. "So, you're really going to Vacuo?" Blake asked, Sun nodded "That's right! Seeing you reunited with the rest of Team RWBY really made me realize something - I'm like the worst team leader ever. Me and the boys were cool with a little hiatus, but we gotta make up for lost time. Shade Academy's not dealing with any problems like Haven right now. Plus, that means I can show the guys around my old stomping grounds!" Sun said ecstatically.

Carmine looked up at him "Be on the lookout for cloaked black figures with steel masks and red eyes, those are Reapers and if you encounter any of them, be very careful and don't be afraid to kill on sight. I know it might be against who you are, but it'll be kill or be killed with them." Carmine warned, Sun nodded. Blake looked up at him "I have to admit, I think I was kind of getting used to having you around." Blake said solemnly.

"I go where I'm needed!" Sun said as he stood proudly, he looked down at Blake and smiled "And... you don't need me anymore. He's back and he can protect you far better than I ever could." Sun said as he gestured to Carmine. She smiled "Well, when you say it like that." Blake said as Carmine leaned against a rail.

"Look... despite the drama and the fighting and the numerous attempts on my life, I had a lot of fun! But you're with who you're supposed to be now." Sun said before he looked at Carmine who was playing with the filter on his gas mask. Blake smiled "Sun... I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough. I'm still-" Blake started to say but Sun cut her off.

"You're still working a lot of things out, I know. But you can do it with them. And in the future, who knows? I've got a feeling you haven't seen the last of me." Sun said as they looked down at Team RWBY, JNR, and CRCL.

"I certainly hope not." Blake said before she kissed him on the cheek, Sun felt his cheek but immediately looked up at Carmine who shot him a thumbs up. Neptune and Sun walked down the stairs "I don't know, man. It just feels like you're letting her go." Neptune said as they descended the stairs. "It was never about that, Brainiac. She's with him and I'm happy for her, besides, now that your leader's back and hardened from battle, I've gotta focus all my time into getting you boys ready for the wastelands!" Sun said to the water phobic.

"Pssh, he doesn't deserve her. She should be with you." Neptune said to Sun, but Sun immediately grabbed his collar "Don't you ever say that again, that man has pulled our asses out of the fire more times than I can count, he has been through so much that, yeah, he deserves her. He deserves both of them." Sun said before he let Neptune go.

Carmine jogged down the stairs "Wukong!" Carmine yelled, Sun turned around shaken "Yes?" He asked a little on edge, Carmine smirked "I expect you to come back in one piece, you are still a member of the Wolf Pack after all." Carmine said as he tossed him his dog tags, Sun caught them and smiled "I won't let you down, sir." Sun said with a salute, Carmine gave him one back.

Carmine picked Blake up suddenly and caused her to yelp in surprise, he carried her down the stairs and sat her down. Weiss puffed out her cheeks "Lucky." She said playfully, Ruby suddenly zipped by in a flash of red and petals. "Whoa, where's the fire?" Carmine asked as Ruby stood there humming and bouncing in place. "And…?" Yang asked, Ruby whipped out a brown bag "Ahh!" Ruby squealed in happiness, Weiss rolled her eyes "What an absolute waste of time." Weiss said, Carmine looked at her "You want me to get you something?" He asked which caused her to light up and smile.

"What did you get me?" Yang asked, Ruby shook her head "You'll have to wait and see!" Ruby said in a singsong style. Regalia walked up carrying a baseball bat on her shoulder "What's up losers." Regalia said, Carmine tilted his head confused "Where'd you get the bat?" Carmine asked, Regalia lowered her bat and sat down on a bench.

"I asked my mom to bring this because I left it at home when we came to Atlas to get you." Regalia said as she handed the bat to Carmine who examined it, it was a steel bat that had a shotgun slide that encompassed the bat, he cocked the slide and examined the port on the side before he closed it and handed it back to Regalia.

"Oh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus! The beautiful northern coastline... You really think it's too early for beach season?" Nora said ecstatically "Unfortunately, but we will be one step closer to Atlas." Ren said as he held an imaginary beach ball in his hands. Weiss sighed "Well, I'm glad you're all excited. But I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas." She said slightly dejectedly, Ruby perked up "I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us. Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second! I promise." She said happily.

"No one's gotta be worried with us around." A man said as two men walked up, Carmine looked at the two men and raised an eyebrow "And what boot were you scrapped off, shit stain?" Carmine asked which caused the man to growl in anger. "Aaaand you are?" Nora asked, the two introduced themselves "Why Dee and Dudley of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory." Dee said, Dudley smirked "But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things get dangerous." Dudley said with a wink.

"Oh wow, we're so fortunate. Thank goodness for you guys! Shit bag." Carmine said sarcastically, Qrow walked up "Yeah, I got a tip for ya." Qrow said as approached the group. "Buzz off. Looks like Mistral's really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days." Qrow said, Dee and Dudley got defensive "Hey! You're talking to a—" Dee started to say, but Qrow cut them off "A professional Huntsman, right. Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open." Qrow said as he held up his huntsman's license.

"It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started." Carmine said, Dee and Dudley looked at him "And who are you." Dee asked unamused, Carmine took a step forward "Ever heard of Wolf Pack?" Carmine asked, Dee and Dudley looked at each other "Yeah. Don't tell me you-" Dee started to say, but Carmine cut him off and rolled up his sleeve to reveal the Beowolf tattoo on his arm.

Dee and Dudley looked terrified "Uh… Come on dummy, let's go." Dee said as the two of them walked away. "Douche canoes." Carmine said as he leaned back against a pillar. "You know sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming. But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our jobs and theirs." Oscar said as he watched the two guys walk away.

The entire group agreed before they heard the boarding call for the Argus Limited, they made their way to the train, but a clerk stopped Carmine in his tracks "Sir, I'm going to need you to disarm yourself." The clerk said, Carmine rolled up his sleeve and revealed his tattoo "I think this is my pass." Carmine said, the clerk took a step back. "Uhh, so sorry sir." The clerk said before he ushered Carmine through.

"God damn right." Carmine said as he followed everyone onto the train, his gear clanging against his body. He walked into the passenger car and walked into the room with the rest of his team, Regalia sat her bat in the corner against the wall and laid down on one of the beds. Carmine placed his bag in cabinet and shut before he walked out of the car, he poked his head back in "I'm going to go check on everyone." Carmine said before he disappeared down the hall.

Carmine walked down the hall and poked his head into the room "Hey guys, you all good?" Carmine said, Weiss looked up from her book and smiled "Hey babe." Weiss said, Blake turned around from the window and gazed at the rifleman "Hey sweetheart, yeah, we're all good here." Blake said as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Carmine started to leave, but Weiss cleared her throat "I think you're forgetting something, mister." Weiss said playfully as she walked over and kissed him on the other cheek. He lightly held her chin with his finger and thumb, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips then Blake before he started to walk down the hall. He grabbed the handle of a door and went to open it, but he was flung to the ground when the train jolted from an extreme force, the force caused Carmine to accidentally rip the door off its hinges.

"Smooth. Get up and grab your team." Qrow said as he ran to Team RWBY's cabin and rallied them. Carmine got up and ran back to his cabin to find his team loading up "Already on it, sir." Regalia said as she cocked her shotgun bat. Carmine pulled on his gas mask and tested the purge filter before he pulled his hood over his head and ran out of the train car and climbed up to the roof. Carmine pulled out his SCAR-H and pulled back the bolt as a fireball whizzed over his head, he looked up in time to see a group of Grimm Manticore that were engaged with the dude bros, Dee and Dudley. Celadon, Laurel, and Regalia climbed up behind him and accessed the situation "What do you want to do, sir?" Celadon asked as the wind blew against them with extreme force.

"What we always do, kick ass and take names." Carmine said before he charged head first into combat, he converted the rifle into its melee form and quickly lopped off a small Manticore's head which caused it to explode into black smoke. "Thought you boys were professionals." Carmine said through his gas mask, Dudley looked at Dee with a deadpan look "I told you it was him." Dudley said, Dee simply flipped him off.

Dee lifted his mace and charged it before he charged toward a large Sphinx Grimm that had landed on the train, the Sphinx let out a loud roar as a Manticore swooped down and picked up Dee in its talons. "Dee!" Dudley yelled as Dee was carried down to the forest floor where he was promptly murderfied. "Mourn later, if we don't kill these fucksticks, there will be more corpses than just him." Carmine said as he converted his sword back into its rifle form. Team RWBY and JNR had climbed to the top of the train.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked, Ruby extended her scythe "Don't let anyone else die." Ruby said before everyone charged into battle, Carmine dashed forward and charged his right fist and decked a Manticore in the face. The Supernova detonated and eviscerated the Grimm, the Sphinx charged forward as Qrow engaged it with his scythe that he converted into a large sword and slashed at the Grimm behemoth.

Carmine sprinted forward with his SCAR and dumped into the Sphinx's face, but the Grimm slapped him back. Carmine flew and tumbled across the roof of the train, he pushed himself up slowly and punched the train roof "Come on Carmine, you took on the Iron Hammer, this Grimm ain't shit." Carmine said to himself as he readied himself.

Carmine pulled out two wireless earbuds and placed them in his ear, he clicked on his scroll and hit play. Carmine bobbed his head along with the guitar riffs that opened the song.

 **Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC (Fuck Yeah!)**

Carmine sprinted forward again and dug into train roof as he picked up speed, he threw his shoulder into the face of a Manticore that had reared up in front of Blake and pumped four rounds into its chest, the Grimm quickly dissipated.

 **All you women who want a man of the street, don't know which way you wanna turn. Just keep coming and put your hand out to me, cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn. I'm gonna take you down, Down, down, down. So, don't you fool around I'm gonna pull it pull it, pull the trigger!**

Carmine sprinted forward and converted his rifle back into its sword form, he plunged the blade into the neck of a Manticore and withdrew his MP7 before he unloaded on another Grimm.

 **Shoot to thrill play to kill, too many women too many pills, yeah. Shoot to thrill play to kill, I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will!**

Carmine converted the SMG into its Bowie Knife form and plunged it into the head of another Manticore. He pulled his sword out and converted it back to its rifle form before he continued down the line of train cars, he turned around to see Dudley running toward the front of the train. With the press of a few buttons, the trains defenses came to life and started to engage the Grimm, the Manticore exploded as round after round hit them.

 **I'm like evil I get under your skin, just like a bomb that's ready to blow. Cause I'm illegal, I got everything that all you women might need to know. I'm gonna take you down, yeah down, down, down. So, don't you fool around, I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger.**

Carmine placed his rifle on his back as a Manticore landed in front of him and roared loudly, he quickly reached into his grenade pouch and pulled one out, pulled the pin, and shoved it down the Grimm's throat, he leaped back as the grenade detonated and evaporated the Grimm. He quickly pulled out rifle again as fireball flew past him, he looked back to see his team was were tearing through their Grimm like paper.

Suddenly, the Sphinx and the remaining Manticore flew away from the train cars "What the fuck?" Carmine asked himself as he removed his ear buds. "TUNNEL!" Oscar yelled, Carmine looked ahead and saw a stone wall approaching rapidly. "Shit! Run!" Carmine yelled as he ran toward the end of one of the train cars and leaped down, Team RWBY and JNR followed along with Qrow and Oscar. Dudley wasn't fast enough and got his arm caught between the train and the stone wall, the sound of bone snapping echoed through the train as Dudley dropped to the ground and writhed in agony.

Qrow picked him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall "I said, turn those damn things off!" Qrow yelled, Dudley held his arm in pain "Those things are keeping us alive!" Dudley said as he held his arm. Carmine leaned against the wall and peered out the window "Yeah chief, I'm gonna stop you right there. Those guns are loud and spoiler alert, Grimm are attracted to that shit. Also, I think we've racked up a bigger body count than those guns." Carmine said before he checked his ammo levels.

"I'm the one they hired for this job, okay?! I'm in charge here!" Dudley said, Qrow groaned and dropped Dudley to the ground. "Look, if you bozos had been doing your job instead of shaking down passengers, maybe we wouldn't be in this—" Qrow started to say before Ruby stopped him. "Please just shut off the turrets." Ruby pleaded as Jaune and Regalia walked up to Dudley, the pair began to heal his arm, the combined Aura glowing pink on his arm.

"Trust us, we know what we're doing." Jaune said as they healed his arm, Regalia nodded in affirmation "And if we don't, we'll just wing it." Regalia said with a chuckle. Dudley looked at everyone and sighed "Fine." He said as he moved his now healed arm.

"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!" Nora asked, Ren rubbed his chin in thought. "Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people." Ren said as he wondered if he could do it. "Well, you've never had Jaune and Regalia's help before." Ruby said, Weiss nodded in agreement "Yeah, they could amplify your aura." Weiss said as Ren weighed his options.

"Yeah, that's an alright plan." Qrow said as he looked through the grated window, Nora rubbed Ren's arm "Don't look so worried, Ren. You can totally do this!" Nora said as she encouraged the long-haired man, Ozpin took over Oscar's body and cleared their throat "I'm afraid there's one complication... The Grimm are also attracted to this." Ozpin said as he gestured to the relic that was attached to his hip. "That explains why that Grimm was chasing us when we left Haven." Carmine said as he looked out the window again.

"Yeah, sorry about that Mr. Sable." Ozpin apologized, Dudley looked down at the relic "What's that?" Dudley asked but Carmine and Qrow both snapped at him "None of your business!" The two men yelled. "Oz, are you serious?" Qrow asked the spirit man, Yang cut in "Why wouldn't you tell us that?!" Yang yelled as she was bewildered by the whole thing. "It doesn't matter right now." Ruby said as she cut off Ozpin, Yang crossed her arms in disbelief.

"Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets... we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus." Ruby said, Jaune walked over to her and looked at her.

"Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there." Jaune said as everyone got ready, Ruby nodded "Promise." She said, Carmine snapped his fingers "Wolf Pack, rally up!" Carmine yelled as JNR started to evacuate the passengers to the front of the train along with Dudley, Carmine ran through the train cars before he ran back "We're clear. Celadon, post up in the back with Charon. Laurel and Regalia on me. Ready when you are, Ruby." Carmine said as he ejected a spent shell from his SCAR.

They climbed up to the roof after the train left the tunnel, Carmine looked back as Team RWBY climbed out onto the roof "Blake, pull the pin!" Carmine yelled as he focused his rifle on the pursuing Grimm, Blake leaped down in between the train cars and decoupled the train cars. "Now!" Ruby yelled as the rest of the train slipped away, Carmine looked back in time to watch the train turn grey as it slipped into the snow storm.

The Sphinx returned and attacked Qrow, he pulled out his sword and blocked the large talon. Carmine dumped the rest of the magazine into the head of the Sphinx before a Manticore rammed into him. Carmine flew backwards but stabbed his sword into the roof of the train to stop himself "Don't get careless, bro." Laurel said as he dumped two shell into a Manticore and killed it, the black smoke dissipated in the wind.

Carmine pulled himself back up and converted his weapon back into its rifle, he dropped the empty magazine and slapped a fresh one in, a Grimm landed and roared in front of Carmine, but he put three rounds into the Grimm's neck. The Grimm dissipated quickly before Carmine ran through the black smoke, Carmine placed his rifle on his back and withdrew his KSG.

He cocked the shotgun and dashed forward before he dumped a round into the chest of a Grimm, the Grimm stepped back before it took a shotgun blast to the face from Yang. "Nice job, Blonde Fury." Carmine said as he cocked the slide and ejected a spent shell. Yang chuckled "Not bad yourself, War Beast." Yang said as she cocked her gauntlet, Carmine chuckled "Huh, that's a new one." Carmine said before he fired down range.

Qrow struggled against the Sphinx, Team RWBY and CRL rushed to help him, loud shots rang out from within the train car as Celadon blew Manticores out of the sky with Charon. Carmine replaced the shotgun to his back and withdrew his SCAR before he dumped on the Sphinx, he converted the rifle into its sword form before he plunged the blade into the side of the Grimm.

The Grimm roared before it bit at Carmine "We need to ground it" Ruby yelled as Carmine pulled his weapon from the side of the Grimm, Blake leaped forward "On it! Yang!" She said as she yelled to blonde fury. Blake threw her sword toward the Grimm and wrapped the ribbon around its torso as it spun around full circle, Yang punched the blade into the roof of the train car and pinned the Sphinx to the roof.

Weiss formed glyphs and froze the Sphinx's wings to the roof, Qrow, Ruby, and Carmine opened fire at the ice and shattered the frozen wings. Qrow and Ruby readied their scythes as the Sphinx's mouth started to swell with fire, the duo spun together with their scythes and bisected the Grimm. The Grimm dissipated, but not before it launched the fireball out and it raced out across the rails, the fireball it the rail and destroyed it instantly. Carmine turned around and looked down the line "SHIT! Brace for impact!" Carmine yelled, Weiss activated her glyph and held everyone in place as the train cars derailed.

The train cars flew through the sky and crashed into snowy hillside, Team RWBY was sent flying into the snow along with Qrow and Oscar. Regalia, Laurel, and Celadon tumbled down an embankment while Carmine was sent flying into a boulder, he impacted the boulder and a red aura flashed over his body before it shattered. A piece of metal rebar impaled Carmine in the calf, he cried on in pain before a metal door slammed into him.

"Carmine!" A voice yelled in a distorted tone, Carmine faded in and out of consciousness as light seemed to fade. Carmine opened his eyes and found himself in a cozy cabin "Hey you." A delicate voice called to him, Carmine turned around and gazed at the person in front of him. The sunlight came through the window and gleamed off his crimson visor, his eyes adjusted to the light and he focused on the person.

"Sapphire?" He asked as his eyes focused on the black-haired vixen, a little girl ran past him and grabbed on to the woman's leg. The little girl looked up at the woman "Mommy, who is that?" She asked, the woman placed her hand on the girls head "Robin, this is Carmine. He's your father." The woman said, Carmine backed up and fell onto a couch "Who… Who are you?" Carmine asked confused.

"It's good to see you too, sweetheart. The others are here too." Sapphire said as five guys walked in, Carmine looked up to see Onyx, Crimson, Nightshade, Keppel, and Grullo standing in the doorway. "Where am I? Who are you?" Carmine asked confused as he stood up and reached for his gun, but found it wasn't there.

"You know who we are, dumbass. But it's not your time." Onyx said as he walked up and hugged Carmine, he closed his eyes and reopened them, he looked up into the snow filled sky and was surrounded by snow. Regalia had been performing CPR on Carmine and was now using her semblance to heal him "Dude, you fucking died." Laurel said as he felt Carmine's neck. Blake, Weiss, and Yang were gathered around him as his eyes focused.

"I… I died?" Carmine said confused, Laurel nodded as he removed his hand from Carmine's neck and pulled on his gloves again. Carmine's face went pale as he realized what just happened "What's wrong?" Blake asked as she held Carmine's hand, Carmine sighed as a tear rolled down his cheek "My family." Carmine said as Blake held his hand to her chest.

 **A/N: Wooooo! Feels good to be back! Leave a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter, also let me know what Carmine's Scar and MP7 should be named, I'm leaning toward Alpha and Omega but thought I'd ask the readers. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	18. Chapter 18: Of Gods and Titans

Ch. 18 – Of Gods and Titans

 **I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs, Enjoy! Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review. I'll be starting on the road to my career, so my posts might be less frequent than usual, and I'll try to post more often (hopefully I can beat my depression into a coma and then Yeet out a couple chapters of Titan Rising and Wolf Pack, this is going on too long. Kay, bye)**

Carmine slowly sat up as Laurel pulled the gear off the rifleman's back, Carmine shivered lightly as he shook from the pain of the rebar that was pierced through his leg. "Shit, I think he's starting to go into shock!" Regalia said, Blake and Weiss both grabbed his arms while Regalia dug through her bag "Luckily I raided the med-bay back on the Valor." Regalia said as she pulled out a pair of forceps, a scalpel, morphine, gauze, and trauma kit. She shoved a wad of gauze into his mouth as Laurel injected some morphine into his leg.

Carmine tilted his head back as he felt the scalpel slice into his flesh, Carmine grunted in pain as he teeth tore into the gauze. Carmine blacked out from the pain as Regalia, Laurel, and Celadon went to work on his leg. Blood flowed into the snow and slowly melted the white around them, replacing it with a murky red pool, the scalpel cut into the meat of his thigh as Regalia used the forceps to pull pieces of shrapnel out of his leg, one piece had torn through a tendon and had some of the tendon still on the shard. "Alright, we need to get this rebar out." Regalia said as she pulled out a can of foaming thermite.  
 ***One Hour Later***

Carmine slowly opened his eyes as he shook lightly, he reached up weakly toward the trauma kit which Regalia slid over to him. He reached into the bag and pulled out a needle, he pulled the cap off with his teeth and stabbed himself in the leg before he injected the contents of the needle into his body "Carmine, what the fuck?!" Regalia said as Carmine pulled the needle out and detonated it in his hand, he dropped the charred pieces into the red snow before he leaped up and yelled at the top of his lungs "AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Carmine yelled before he took off running, he balled up his and threw his fist into a tree.

The bottom of the tree was eviscerated the moment his fist connected, the top of the tree fell into the forest as Carmine shadow boxed and dodged nonexistent punches. Carmine ran back over to his team and jogged in place "So what did you just inject into yourself?" Regalia asked as she packed up her bag, Carmine stretched and collected his gear "Adrenaline, gotta get my heart going and get blood circulating again. Also, this wound will heal faster." Carmine said before Regalia projected her semblance into his leg "That's a big negative, Ghost rider" Regalia said as she healed his wound.

Carmine peeled back the gauze to see the wound completely gone and a nice scar replaced it, Regalia handed him a bundle of clothes "Here, sir. Weiss patched it up for you while you were unconscious." Regalia said as he took the clothes and unfolded them to see that they were his pants, he looked down to see that he was only wearing boxers and combat boots. "Well, that's embarrassing." Carmine said as he slipped the pants on and fastened the tactical belt. He adjusted his Heavy IBA as he put all his gear back on, he reached down and picked up his gas mask but found that the visor was shattered and the filter was destroyed. Carmine tossed the mask into the train car that smoldered slowly in the snow, he reached into his bag and pulled out a black gas mask with a black reflective visor.

He pulled on the mask and tested the steam purge system that made a hiss that echoed through the cold, snowy air. He pulled on his bag and adjusted the straps before he grabbed his Scar that was leaned against a boulder, he walked back over to his team as his feet crushed the snow beneath his feet. "Alright, I think I'm ready." Carmine said as his voice seemed distorted as it came through the mask.

"All black suits you better, war beast." Yang said as the others walked over to his group, Qrow grabbed Carmine by the shoulder "Glad your still with us, kid." Qrow said, Carmine chuckled "Hell, I ain't got no where to go anytime soon. I still got unfinished business." Carmine said before he ejected a spent shell from his Scar. "Oh Ruby, I finally thought of a name for my weapons." He said which caused her to perk up "Really, what are they? Tell me tell me tell me!" She said excitedly, he patted her on the head to calm her down.

"So, this is Judge." He said as he gestured to the .500 Magnum on his right mid-thigh, he moved up to the MP7 on his right hip "This is Jury." Carmine said before he moved up to his Scar "And this bad boy is Executioner." Carmine said as he rested the rifle on his shoulder. Ruby stared in awe "That. Is. So cool!" She exclaimed, Yang looked around the barren snow field "Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, and we've gained a defenseless old lady!" Yang said as everyone looked over to see a small woman near Oscar, she turned around and looked at Yang "My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair." She said before she tapped on the prosthetics on her face, the shutters opened and closed before they remained open partially. "Okay, I'm starting to see your point." Maria said.

Qrow groaned "Yang, knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm." Qrow said as he looked around the frozen hellscape, Blake shook her head "Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven." Blake said as she and Weiss pushed their bodies up against Carmine to stay warm, Yang chuckled "Oh, and how could I forget about that?" Yang said before she looked at Oscar "What happened to "no more lies and half-truths"?" Yang asked angrily, Oscar nodded his head "Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation…" Oscar said before Ozpin took over his body.

"I did not lie to you…" Ozpin said, Carmine stepped forward "With all due respect sir but I call bullshit! What about fuckboy Lionheart who had all that information on me, Sapphire, and the Wolves, did you know about that?!" Carmine asked slightly angered, Ozpin paced back and forth in the snow "Please, now is not the time." Ozpin said as he tried to change the subject, Yang stepped forward and put her foot down metaphorically "Hell no! We're past that! I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!" Yang yelled as she clinched her fists but relaxed when Carmine placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Yang's right, we have gone this far and put our lives on the line to get that fucking thing. We demand some god damn answers right now!" Carmine said more angered, Ozpin sighed as he lowered his head "It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option." Ozpin said, Weiss scoffed "You know, I'm getting real tired of people choosing what's best for me. The only person I would let choose for me would be him, only because he's been through more, more than I can say about you, Ozpin." Weiss said as she wrapped her arm around Carmine's arm.

Yang crossed her arms "Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?" She asked pissed off, Ozpin put his arms behind his back as he looked up into the snowy sky "Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years." Ozpin said, Carmine clinched his fists as his eyes darkened into their deep crimson color "Bullshit! The only people that Mistral deserve to know about is the 184th but no one tells their fucking story, those men saved our fucking lives and people act as if they don't exist. Why were we the ones who became famous? Because we were wiped out, the 184th offered their help but we declined and what happens? We all die, meanwhile Lionheart has full documents on each of us, but you think he 'deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service.' Newsflash Ozpin, there's a word for what he was. Treason." Carmine said as he his fist twitched with anger.

"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him." Ozpin said, Carmine scoffed "Yeah, I regret ever thinking you had our best interest in heart." Carmine said which caused everyone to look at him shocked, Carmine chuckled as he looked down at the snow. Yang sighed and look at Ozpin "Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you." Yang said as she tried to reassure Ozpin.

"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin said with his voice raised, Carmine raised Executioner slightly as he readied himself for whatever may come. "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I..." Ozpin started to say before he stopped mid-sentence and looked around the group.

"Where's the Relic?" Ozpin asked, Ruby raised the lantern and showed it in her hands "Right here, it got scattered in the crash." Ruby explained as she held the Relic. "Please, hand it over." Ozpin said as he reached out toward the Relic, but Ruby hesitated "So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?" She asked confused, Ozpin sighed "That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear." Ozpin said as he continued to hold his hand out toward the Relic, but Blake moved in front of Ruby "But, you said it couldn't do anything right now." Ruby said as she peaked out from behind Blake.

"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked, Ozpin seemed to grow slightly angrier "I need you to listen to me–" Ozpin started to say as he reached out toward the Relic but stopped, Qrow stepped forward confused "Oz?" Qrow asked, Carmine quickly pulled Blake and Ruby back away from Ozpin before he moved in front of them and converted Executioner into its Falchion blade form. Oscar took back control over his body "Hurry… he's… trying to stop you!" Oscar said as he fought for control.

Yang looked visibly confused "Stop her from what?!" She asked as Oscar continued to resist Ozpin. "He's afraid… you'll find out what he's… hiding!" Oscar said before he collapsed to his knees, Carmine readied his blade in anticipation. "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her." Oscar said as he struggled to fight back Ozpin. Ruby looked down at the lantern, but Carmine grabbed it quickly and tossed it up into the air "JINN!" Carmine yelled out into the sky, suddenly the snow stopped falling in midair and the wind had stopped blowing.

A cyan colored smoke emerged the from the Lantern that floated in midair, the smoke surrounded them before it went out and began to form a humanoid shape. The smoke took the form of a woman with curvaceous features, Qrow looked away while Carmine and Laurel stared in awe.

The woman had blue skin and slightly darker blue hairs, she wore a gold chain headdress, gold big hooped earrings, the right ear also having an extra gold earring, a gold choker, gold bracelets with gold chains dangling from them along with a single gold bracelet on her left forearm, gold anklets, and a gold belt of chains around her waist that ended in a big ring with three prongs. She stretched out and let out a moan as she stretched her arm "Oh god, that's hot." Laurel said before Regalia slugged him the arm. Carmine stared at the voluptuous woman as she reflected off his visor, she seemed to float in midair as she spun around in the air and flipped around before she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Wonderful." Jinn said as everyone stared in awe, she looked over the group "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?" Jinn asked, Carmine stepped forward "So what are you?" Carmine asked, Jinn giggled "I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-" Jinn started to say before Ozpin cut her off "That's enough!" Ozpin yelled, everyone looked at Ozpin who had taken control of Oscar's body.

"... two questions this era." Jinn said as she finished her sentence, Carmine glared at Ozpin in his peripheral vision and he rested his hand on the handle of Judge. "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man." Jinn said with a smirk, Carmine extended his left hand and gestured Ruby forward "The floor is yours, Little Red." Carmine said, Ruby stepped forward as she held her hands close to her body. Ozpin reached up slightly "Ruby, please... Don't." Ozpin pleaded, Qrow stepped forward "Hey." Qrow said as he took a step forward, suddenly Yang, Weiss, Blake, Regalia, Carmine, Laurel, and Celadon raised their weapons defensively while Ruby stared at him in disbelief.

Qrow sighed and relented "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo." Qrow said as everyone lowered their weapons, Ruby exhaled slowly before she turned around. "Jinn?" Ruby asked which caused Jinn to look at her with a curious expression on her face, Ruby exhaled again and looked up at the voluptuous woman "What is Ozpin hiding from us?" Ruby asked, Ozpin yelled out "NOOOOOOO!" Ozpin yelled as he sprung up and attempted to rush Ruby, but Carmine quickly drew Judge and pointed it at Ozpin's forehead before his reality was swallowed by white.

Carmine looked around the vacant white room "Blake!? Weiss!? Laurel!?" He yelled out as he holstered his revolver. Suddenly the white room changed to show Beacon but somehow, it was different "Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl, named... Salem." Jinn said as the scenery around Carmine changed again

 ***We all know how that song and dance goes so… SKIP***

Carmine was brought back to reality where he stilled had Judge aimed at Ozpin's head, Ozpin was on his knees with his head lowered, Carmine placed Judge back in the holster and clicked it closed before he picked Ozpin up by the neck with one hand. Carmine held his arm out as Ozpin struggled to breathe "Carmine, let him go." Yang said but Carmine didn't budge as Ozpin's feet flailed in the air, Carmine slowly tightened his grip on Ozpin's throat "Sorry kid." Carmine said to Oscar who wasn't in control of his body. "CARMINE!" Blake and Weiss yelled before Laurel put him in a rear naked choke hold which caused him to drop Ozpin.

Ozpin fell to the ground and gasped for air, he had deep imprints on his throat from Carmine who fought against Laurel "Walk away, just walk away." Laurel said as he guided Carmine away from Ozpin who rubbed his throat as he slowly pushed himself up off the ground. "Salem can't be killed… you all heard her too, right?" Yang said as she paced back and forth in the snow.

"I–" Ozpin started to say before Yang cut him off "There was so much you hadn't told us! How could you think that was okay?!" Yang yelled as she tried to maintain her anger, Ozpin hung his head in shame as he remained silent. "Professor… What is your plan to defeat Salem?" Ruby asked Ozpin, he lifted his head slowly "I... don't have one..." Ozpin said before he was sucker punched by Qrow, the blow sent him flying into a tree. "No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good..." Qrow said as his voice shook with anger, explosions could be heard in the distance accompanied by yelling and cursing, Regalia lightly shook her head "He's getting out his anger before he comes back." Regalia said as there was another explosion.

"But, you are!" Ozpin said tearfully, Qrow shook his head "Meeting you... was the worst luck of my life..." Qrow said with venom, Ozpin lowered his head "Maybe you're right..." Ozpin said before his eyes flashed yellow and suddenly Oscar had control again. He grabbed his cheek as the pain hit him like a freight train "What happened?" Ruby asked confused, Oscar looked up in shock "He's... gone." Oscar said in shock.

Gunshots rang out in the distance before Carmine and Laurel emerged from the tree line, Carmine ejected a spent shell from his rifle before he dropped the magazine from the rifle and slapped a fresh one in before he pulled off his mask. He exhaled slowly as a large plume of steam rose from his mouth into the cold air, the steam melted all the snow that fell from the sky. "That bastard! Tell him we're not done yet!" Yang exclaimed with anger, Oscar shook his head "No, this is different. He's gone. It- It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?" Oscar explained before he grabbed his head in pain. "I hate this! I want it to stop!" Oscar said as he cradled his head in pain.

"He just left us?" Weiss asked in disbelief as Carmine rejoined the group and pulled his gas mask back on, he tightened the straps on the back before he pulled the hood over his head. Weiss and Blake looked at Carmine with concern on their face "Honey, are you alright?" Blake asked as she slowly walked up to him, she placed her hand on his right arm as he exhaled slowly "Yeah… I just had to get out some rage, I took out a lot of trees before I took out the Grimm that showed up." Carmine said as he rubbed his hands together. "So, what did I miss while I was gone?" Carmine asked.

"Well, Ozpin left us." Weiss explained, Carmine looked down at the ground for a moment. "What are we gonna do now?" Blake asked before Yang growled in anger. "Enough! We need to get move on. It'll be dark before we know it, and every one of you is spewing negativity! It doesn't help that this one just led a war path against trees." Maria said as she helped Oscar off the ground with her cane. "There's a trail over there, trails usually lead somewhere." Maria said as she gestured toward a trail in the snow.

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are but-" Yang started to say before Maria cut her off "No buts! I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!" Maria said as she shuffled through the snow.

"The tiny woman has a point, we better get stepping before other Grimm show up." Carmine said before Maria smacked him in the knee with her cane, he looked down at her "That doesn't hurt, I've got armor plating in my knees." Carmine said as he knocked on the knee pads with the metal in his gloves, the two made a metallic clang. "Alright everyone, grab your shit and let's get moving." Carmine said as he lifted Yang's bike up out of the snow and wheeled it over to her.

Everyone picked up as much Dust as they could carry along with their belongings, Maria climbed up and sat on the back of Yang's bike. Ruby walked up to Oscar and handed him his cane, Oscar sighed "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?" Oscar asked in a defeated tone, Ruby looked at him in a serious manner "Of course not. You're your own person." Ruby said as they walked down the trail. "Don't lie to him, Ruby." Qrow said before he took a drink from his flask "We're better than that..." Qrow said as he trekked through the snow along with the group.

"Alright! Regalia and Laurel, I want you guys to take up the rear while Celadon and I will take up the front." Carmine said as Laurel and Regalia moved to the back to form a rectangle around the group. "Keep your eyes open." Carmine said to Celadon who scanned the horizon as they walked. Carmine kept his rifle pointed toward the ground as they walked through the snow, "Doesn't look like this is gonna let up." Qrow said as he took a drink from his flask, Carmine heard Weiss and Blake shiver behind him "Sorry ladies, I wish I jackets for you to wear." Carmine said apologetically, Blake giggled "It's alright, I just want to get this stupid Relic to Atlas and get out of this storm." Blake said, Weiss nodded "Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there." She said as she held Blake for warmth, Yang hmphed "I thought trails led somewhere." Yang said sarcastically to Maria, the little lady looked at the blonde girl "Do you have nothing better to do than to harass a defenseless old lady?" She asked as they moved through the snow storm.  
"Everyone shut the fuck up for a moment!" Carmine yelled which caused everyone to be quiet, it was dead silent as a faint squeaking noise could be heard in the distance. "You hear that?" Carmine asked, Blake's ear twitched as she moved her head "That way." She said as she pointed to a silhouette in the distance. The group pushed through the storm until they came upon a large farm with a sign that read 'Brunswick Farm', the gate squeaked as the wind pushed it back and forth. "Well, at least one good thing happened today." Blake said with a chuckle, Weiss tilted her head "It looks abandoned." Weiss said, Ruby looked over at her "It's still better than this." Ruby said as Carmine pushed the gate open.

Carmine and Celadon slowly moved down the driveway as they approached the main house, Carmine raised his rifle as he scanned the windows of the buildings. He held up his right hand and made a fist before he signaled Laurel to take the left flank and Regalia to take the right flank around the well that stood in the center of the farm. Laurel and Regalia quickly moved to their positions as they had their weapons raised, Carmine walked up to the door and jiggled the knob, but it wouldn't budge.

He signaled Laurel over to him as he looked at the door knob "What you wanna do?" Laurel asked, Carmine looked around the farm slowly "It looks like no one has been here in a while, look at the bottom of the door. That snow should have been broken if the people left recently, but this… this is just eerie, like…" Carmine said as he started to trail off. "Like you've seen it before?" Laurel asked, Carmine nodded "Yeah, The Grimm Reapers." Carmine said before he moved Laurel away from the door. Carmine stepped back and swiftly kicked the door in before he and Laurel pushed in with their weapons raised, everyone moved into the house as Regalia and Celadon followed slowly as they watched the driveway.

Regalia and Celadon pushed a large drawer in front of the door to keep it closed as the rest looked around the abandoned house "You smell that?" Laurel asked Carmine who pulled off his masked and took a deep breath in "Yeah, decay. Everyone be on guard." Carmine said as he checked corners as he entered rooms "I saw a chimney from the outside. Maybe we could get a fire going?" Blake said as she looked around for firewood or stuff to burn. Carmine pulled open a drawer and found a golden pocket watch that he pocketed before he continued to search room to room, occasionally lighting lanterns and lamps. "Please. I'll look for some blankets" Weiss said from the other room "Yang, go with her." Qrow said as he looked around the house.

Carmine walked back into the main room "Bottom floor rooms are clear, I just need to check the upstairs…" Carmine started to say before he was cut off by a high pitch scream. "Weiss!" Carmine and Ruby yelled at the same time before Carmine sprinted up the stairs, his boots slammed down on the wooden stair case. He rounded the corner and found Weiss and Yang standing in a room in shock, he looked past them and saw two corpses in a bed "Cover your eyes!" Carmine said as he placed his hands over their eyes and backed them out of the room.

Qrow walked into the room before Carmine joined him "You ever seen anything like this before?" Qrow asked the mercenary, Carmine nodded "Once, we were chasing a man by the name of Cerberus, he was a disgraced Atlas Scientist. One of his labs we found had a victim who looked like that." Carmine said as he walked over to the body and examined it closer, he pulled on his gas mask to protect against the smell of rotten flesh that permeated off the corpses.

"Well, luckily for us, this house acted as a sort of tomb for them so there are no maggots or flies." Carmine said before he opened the side window and pulled the corpse out the bed "What are you doing!?" Qrow asked confused, Carmine looked at him "Mourn the dead later, we got shit to do." Carmine said as he tossed the corpse out the window, he dragged the other corpse over and tossed it out as well before he shut the window.

He pulled the fluid-soaked sheets off the bed and tossed them out of the window before he grabbed a fresh set from a cabinet and made the bed "There, done." Carmine said as he looked at the freshly made, non-corpsey, bed. "Wow Carmine, you'll make a good house wife one day." Qrow said, Carmine withdrew Judge and pointed it a Qrow without looking away from the bed "Sorry, what?" Carmine asked, Qrow chuckled before he walked away. Carmine placed Judge back into the holster and walked down stairs to the main floor.

"Right so, we got a bed with clean sheets and no bodies in it." Carmine said with a chuckle, Yang looked at him "Did… did you just make a joke about dead people?" Yang asked confused, Carmine shrugged "When you've seen so much death, you kind of become numb to it." Carmine said as Qrow walked back in from outside "It's the same in every house." Qrow said as he brushed snow off his shoulders, Yang sat up "What?" She asked confused "Bodies. Every bed in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up." Qrow said as he sipped from his flask.

"Then we're not staying here, right?" Weiss asked as she sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, Carmine looked down at the floor as he crossed his arms "I'm afraid we don't have much of an option, with out the Airship or the Valor, we're not going anywhere fast." Carmine said as he leaned against the wall. "We don't have a choice. Storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere." Qrow said as he walked over to the fireplace.

Maria hopped off the couch and walked over to the book case "Well, might as well get comfortable." Maria said, Carmine picked up his bag and sat it on a table with a loud thud "I think I have seen this before and if I'm right, I might want to start a contingency plan." Carmine said as he pulled on his bag and withdrew Executioner before he moved through the house. "Okay, then, let's do something. If this place wasn't abandoned, it might still have supplies we could use." Ruby said as she looked over the crowd, Laurel stood up and left the room to join Carmine.

"What's the game plan?" Laurel asked as he raised his shotgun and cleared the next room with Carmine, the rifleman sighed "If this is what I think it is, then everyone is about to get really tired and weak." Carmine said to Laurel who looked back at him "Wait, what?" Laurel asked confused, Carmine pulled out his scroll and pulled up a data sheet "It's called 'The Apathy', this Grimm is powerful and very dangerous. It drains the willpower of its victims and makes them want to give up." Carmine said as they pushed into a room that had a bar in it, Laurel chuckled "You wanna have a drink?" Laurel asked, Carmine shrugged "Sure, whiskey, neat." Carmine said as he placed his rifle on the bar top.

"So, you've seen The Apathy before? Where?" Laurel asked as he slid a glass over to Carmine, the rifleman pulled his gas mask off and sat it on the bar "I found it on a computer that was owned by Cerberus of The Grimm Reapers. It kills its victims slowly and apparently it also has an ear-piercing shriek." Carmine said as he slammed the whiskey back. Carmine pulled his Ka-Bar out of the sheath and held it by the tip before he threw it at the wall, the knife flew and stabbed into a wooden pillar. The rifleman stood up and pulled the knife from the wall before he placed it back into its sheath.

"Alright, let's do this." Carmine said as he pulled a box of C-4 from his bag and sat it down on the bar, he pulled a brick out and peeled the back off before he placed it under the bar. He pressed the switch on the brick which turned a red light on, he tossed a brick to Laurel who placed one on the wooden pillar and flipped the switch to activate it. They moved into another room that had a metal cellar door on the floor with a chain looped through the handles, as Carmine examined it closer, Ruby and Weiss walked into the pantry with them.

"Great, more alcohol. Oh, hey Carmine, what are you doing?" Ruby asked as they looked around the room. "Why is this hatch locked?" Carmine asked before something banged against the metal doors, everyone stepped back slowly as Carmine unsheathed his knife and stabbed something through the slit in the door, black smoke rose from the slit and dissipated quickly. "What was that?" Ruby asked confused, Carmine placed the knife back into the sheath and turned to face to two girls and Laurel "The Apathy, some seriously nasty Grimm." Carmine said before he stuck a brick of C-4 to the roof of the pantry.

"Grimm?! We gotta do something." Ruby said as she withdrew Crescent Rose, Carmine patted her on the head "That won't do anything, but this will." Carmine said as he clicked the switch on the brick. Carmine grabbed five bottles of vodka off the shelf and walked back out to the bar where he pulled cloth rags out and stuffed them into the bottles of vodka before he tipped it upside down temporarily. "Boom, Molotov Cocktails. Just light and throw." Carmine said as he placed a lighter on the bar. "What do you mean it won't do anything, your knife just…" Ruby started to say before Carmine cut her off "I stabbed it in the head." Carmine said as he crossed some wires that caused a light on a detonator to turn on.

"There's food on that shelf, grab it and get back to the fire." Carmine said, Ruby and Weiss grabbed some cans off the shelf before they left for the main room. "Want to break the chain?" Laurel asked, Carmine shook his head "No, we need to keep those fuckers down there." Carmine said as he stood up and walked out of the pantry. He zipped up his bag and put it back on before he and Laurel walked back into the main part of the house, Laurel placed the Molotov Cocktails onto the kitchen table as Carmine sat his bag on the floor and sat down on the couch in between Blake and Weiss.

They both rested their head on his shoulders while he pulled off his gas mask and sat it in his lap "You girls get some sleep, alright." Carmine said as he stared into the fire, Yang leaned back against the sofa and rested her head against Carmine's leg as she closed her eyes. Carmine reached down and played with a few strands of her golden blonde hair, he looked down at the floor and saw Regalia with her head on Yang's thigh. Carmine nudged Regalia "Wake up, we got work to do." Carmine said in a hushed tone, Regalia sighed "Five more minutes, I'm in bliss." Regalia said as she rolled over and was face down in Yang's thighs.

Yang giggled as Regalia rolled over, so she was looking up at Yang who brushed Regalia's purple hair out of her face and behind her ear "Go, I'll be here." Yang said before she kissed Regalia on the lips. Regalia stood up and fixed her skirt "Right, what do we need to do?" Regalia asked as Carmine slowly stood up and rested Weiss's head on Blake's lap. Carmine brought her into another room where Laurel and Celadon were waiting "Right so, we might have Grimm problem on our hands. In the backroom, there's a cellar door that is chained shut, like it's keeping something in and I stabbed whatever was on the other side of the door and it turned to black smoke." Carmine explained in a hushed tone.

"Oh, hell no, I just got that sweet, sweet blonde nectar in there, I am not losing it." Regalia said a she raised her bat shotgun, Carmine shook his head "Look, as far as I know, the Grimm are trapped in the cellar so what we do is before we leave, we cut the chain and let them flood the house before I blow the charges." Carmine said as Laurel handed him a yellow box that he sat on the table and unlatched two latches, he opened the lid to show his team a two rows of ten lights that had only six lights lit. "This is an EDD or Electronic Delay Detonator, I turn the key, press in a small code, and press this red button. Big boom." Carmine explained before he closed the box and put it in his bag.

Carmine pulled out a couple bricks of C4 and handed them to Regalia and Celadon "Place them on key points and choke points." Carmine said as he pulled out some for himself. Team CRCL went to work as the others slept in the silent house, they were quiet as they armed explosive charges throughout the large house.

 ***The Next Morning***

Everyone was passed out in the house, Qrow was asleep in a chair with wine bottles on the ground by his feet. Carmine leaned against the wall as he looked out the window, Qrow dropped a bottle which startled Ruby awake "Carmine? What time is it?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes, Carmine pulled out the pocket watch he found and clicked it open "About 7am." Carmine said as he closed the watch and placed it back into his pocket. Ruby stood up and looked at everyone fast asleep "Wanna have some fun waking them up?" Carmine asked, Ruby lit up with excitement "What did you have in mind?" Ruby asked curiously.

Carmine pulled out his KSG and cocked it before he fired a single shell into the wall, the blast startled everyone awake and to their feet. Ruby barely contained her laughter as everyone looked around confused "What was that?!" Qrow asked confused, Carmine chuckled "Mercenary alarm clock." Carmine said as he placed the KSG back on his lower back. "Let's get going, we should get going." Carmine said as his team members prepped their gear and readied their weapons.

Outside, Yang and Laurel dragged a trailer from a shed and lined it up with Yang's motorcycle "Weiss, can you make a hitch with your rapier?" Carmine asked as he tossed Laurel a hollow piece of metal, Laurel lined up the metal as Weiss used the fire dust in her sword to weld the metal onto the trailer and hooked the trailer to the bike. "There." Weiss said as Laurel tested the weld, he looked back at Carmine and gave a thumbs up.

Laurel walked over to the side and lightly kicked the side "Alright, looks good…" Laurel started to say before the left tire popped and deflated. "You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria asked sarcastically, Yang sighed "I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas." Yang said in a defeated tone, Ruby sighed and looked up at her sister "It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare." Ruby said in a somewhat optimistic tone. Yang shook her head "It's not just that, it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters... I'm so tired..." Yang said as she crossed her arms.

"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by." Blake said in a somber tone, Carmine chuckled "Blake, I love you, but you don't know what it means to fight to get by." Carmine said, Laurel and Regalia looked at him shocked as everyone got quiet. "Do… you realize what you just said?" Celadon asked in a low tone, Carmine shook his head before Celadon repeated what he said verbatim. Carmine clenched his fists before he pulled on his gas mask and withdrew his rifle "I'll be right back." Carmine said, anger and hatred resonated in his voice as he started to walk away, Laurel and Regalia moved in front of him.

"Why? Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?" Yang said as Carmine swapped the magazine in his rifle for one labeled 'AP' and pulled back the bolt on the side of the rifle. "What? The Grimm might…" Ruby started to say before she was cut off "They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now." Yang said as she had a dazed look in her eyes.

Ruby took the Relic off her belt and walked over to the well "Ruby, wait." Carmine said as he started to move toward her, she held the Relic over the well "I am... really... tired..." Ruby said as her pupils dilated, she started to pull back but was startled by something in the well that caused her to drop the Relic into the well.

"No! No! No! I didn't mean to!" Ruby said as her pupils returned to normal, Weiss looked at her with the same dazed look "Ruby, it's okay." Weiss said in flat tone. "No! No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!" Ruby said as Carmine ran up to the well and aimed his rifle down the well. "Yeah, you better run, skinny." Carmine said in a low tone. "Hey, it's okay. You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go." Yang said as she placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, but Ruby swatted it away.

"What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?!" Ruby said as she mentally kicked herself. "All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare." Qrow said as he sat against a pole. "I'm not leaving without the lamp!" Ruby yelled as her teammates stared at her with dazed looks. Blake sighed "I'll go down with you..." Blake said, Carmine chuckled "We'll go too." Carmine said as his team readied their weapons behind him.

"We'll go down together." Weiss said, Qrow shook his head "Fine! Get the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire." Qrow said as he walked back into the house. "Where are you going?" Maria asked, Qrow shook his flask "Where do you think?" He asked sarcastically, Maria shook her head "Stupid." She said as she continued to read the book she had. Carmine leaped into the well and bounced off the walls to slow his descent, Regalia, Laurel, Celadon, and Team RWBY followed behind them.

"Alright Wolves, eyes up and sweep left to right." Carmine said as he raised Executioner and clicked the tactical light on that was attached to the right side of the rifle. He slowly moved deeper into the tunnel, he checked corners and passageways as they walked down the waterway "Maybe the current carried it away." Yang said as they moved deeper into the tunnel, Ruby acted nervously "Oh, come on, where is it?" She asked as they continued through the water. "Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?" Blake asked in an unsure tone, Carmine clicked the light on his rifle off as Ruby and Yang turned their scroll lights off. Blake looked around the tunnel before she noticed something in the distance "There!" She said as she pointed at a blue glow that was, Ruby ran forward before Carmine could stop her "Ruby, wait!" Carmine yelled.

"I got it!" Ruby yelled as she picked up the Relic but let out a shriek when she came face to face with a tall, sickly looking figure "What the fuck is that?!" Yang and Laurel asked as Carmine raised his rifle "The Apathy." Carmine said as he shot the figure three times in the head, the figure quickly dissipated as others rounded the corner slowly. "Ruby! Run!" Carmine yelled as he continued to fire into the pack of Apathy. One of the figures let out an ear-piercing shriek which caused everyone to drop to their knees, Carmine pulled out a pair of ear buds and placed them into his ears "Alright, let's see if my theory is correct." Carmine said as he pressed play on his scroll in his pocket.

"My weapon... feels heavy…" Blake said as she struggled to stand, but Carmine stood tall as he continued to fire into the crowd of Grimm. Carmine pulled the pin on a frag and tossed it down the tunnel before it exploded and ripped threw a couple Apathy. "Run!" Maria yelled from behind the group.

 **Hells Bells – AC/DC**

 **I'm a rolling thunder, pouring rain, I'm coming on like a hurricane. My lightning's flashing across the sky, you're only young, but you're gonna die.**

 **I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives nobody's putting up a fight, I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell, I'm gonna get you, Satan get you.**

 **Hell's bells! Yeah, hell's bells. You got me ringing Hell's bells! My temperature's high, Hell's bells!**

"Now!" Maria yelled as the group ran out of the tunnel behind her, Carmine fired a few more rounds before he followed behind them. "Go, go!" Carmine yelled as he followed behind them, they took a right and sprinted down another tunnel as they passed more Apathy.

 **I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine, if you're into evil, you're a friend of mine. See my white light flashing as I split the night, 'Cause if good's on the left, then I'm sticking to the right.**

 **I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives nobody's putting up a fight, I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell, I'm gonna get you, Satan get you.**

The Apathy let out another shriek and caused everyone to collapse, everyone except for Carmine who fired into the crowd. "Looks like I was right." Carmine said to himself as he dropped the empty magazine and inserted a fresh magazine. He switched Executioner into its sword form and sliced through one of the Grimm's neck "Anytime guys!" Carmine yelled as he balled up his fist and delivered an explosive uppercut to another Apathy.

 **Hell's bells! Yeah, hell's bells. You got me ringing Hell's bells! My temperature's high, Hell's bells!**

As Carmine fought through the mass of Grimm, the song in his ears abruptly changed to the sound of air raid sirens and distant mortar fire combined with claps of gunfire and helicopter blades. A voice echoed through his mind 'make them your bitch.'

 **Indestructible – Disturbed**

 **Another mission, the powers have called me away. Another time to carry the colors again, my motivation an oath I've sworn to defend, to win the honor of coming back home again. No explanation will matter after we begin, unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within. My true vocation and now my unfortunate friend, you will discover a war you're unable to win.**

Carmine gritted his teeth as his he withdrew his Ka-Bar and stabbed another Grimm in the throat as he decapitated another one quickly. "An exit. An exit!" Maria yelled, Ruby crawled toward Weiss who was on the ground "Come on!" Ruby said as she struggled to stand up, Ruby and Carmine heard a weapon clatter to the ground. They looked back and saw Blake collapse to the ground "Blake!" Carmine yelled as he tried to move toward the Faunus, but he was back handed into a wall by an Apathy. He dropped to the ground, but slowly picked himself up off the ground "Blake... get... up!" Ruby yelled as more Apathy came in through the opening in the wall.

"It's fine." Blake said weakly as an Apathy approached her and reached its sickly hand down toward the cat Faunus "Noo!" Carmine yelled as he picked himself up. "BLAAAAAKE!" Ruby yelled as large flash of white light filled the room and damaged the Apathy to a point of semi-retreat. Everyone broke from their trance and picked themselves up, Regalia helped Yang off the ground and led her toward the stairs that Maria had found.

"What just happened?!" Maria asked confused, Weiss ran up the stairs and tried to push open the doors "It's locked!" Weiss yelled. "Out of my way." Yang said as drew her arm back, but the Apathy let out another shriek which dropped everyone to their knees. Maria crawled closer to Ruby who was on the ground "Ruby... what color are your eyes?" Maria asked, Ruby looked at the short lady "They're… silver…" Ruby said which caused Maria to gasp. "You have a family? Friends?" Maria asked.

 **I'll have you know that I've become!**

 **Indestructible determination that is incorruptible from the other side. A terror to behold, annihilation will be unavoidable. Every broken enemy will know, that their opponent had to be invincible. Take a last look around while you're alive, I'm an indestructible master of war.**

 **Another reason, another cause for me to fight. Another fuse uncovered now, for me to light. My dedication to all that I've sworn to protect, I carry out my orders without a regret. A declaration embedded deep under my skin, a permanent reminder of how it began. No hesitation when I am commanded to strike. You need to know that you're in for the fight of your life.**

Carmine pushed himself off the ground and placed Executioner on his back before he pulled out his KSG, he ran forward and dumped multiple rounds into the mass of Grimm. Buckshot after buckshot, he fired shell after shell into the skinnys. Ruby looked over at Carmine who was fighting back the Grimm, Laurel and Regalia had joined him as they fired into the mass of Grimm. One after another, the Grimm dissipated and exploded into black smoke, Laurel drew his machetes and tore into the Grimm as they got too close to him.

 **Indestructible determination that is incorruptible from the other side. A terror to behold, annihilation will be unavoidable. Every broken enemy will know, that their opponent had to be invincible. Take a last look around while you're alive, I'm an indestructible master of war.**

"Don't think about them. Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way they make you feel. Focus!" Maria said as she tried to get Ruby to focus. As soon as they had an opening, Carmine handed Laurel and Regalia ear plugs and gestured to them to put them in. The moment they placed the plugs in, the Apathy let out a shriek but didn't affect the three who fired back at the Grimm.

 **Indestructible determination that is incorruptible from the other side. A terror to behold, annihilation will be unavoidable. Every broken enemy will know, that their opponent had to be invincible. Take a last look around while you're alive, I'm an indestructible master of war.**

Ruby closed her eyes and opened them moments later, her silver eyes now glowed brightly as the light flooded the room and ripped through the Grimm and rendered them into smoke. Yang shot up quickly and slammed her robotic arm while the gun in her wrist fired, the explosion blew open the door as the others quickly stood up and ran up the stairs.

 **Indestructible determination that is incorruptible from the other side. A terror to behold, annihilation will be unavoidable. Every broken enemy will know, that their opponent had to be invincible. Take a last look around while you're alive, I'm an indestructible master of war.**

"We're back in the house?" Blake asked confused as Carmine fished out a brick and stuck it to the roof of the cellar, he clicked the switch before he ran up the stairs. Qrow was passed out at the bar as everyone ran through the door, Ruby stopped and shook Qrow "Uncle Qrow, get up!" Ruby yelled as she shook Qrow. "Hey! Get off me! What are you doing here?" Qrow said as he slurred his words. "We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!" Maria yelled as she ran out of the room.

Weiss looked back at the cellar entrance "Not yet…" She said as she grabbed a couple bottles of vodka and threw them on the ground, the bottles shattered on the ground and coated the stairs in alcohol. "Hey... Hey! What are you doing?!" Qrow yelled as Weiss used her rapier and a Glyph to send fire into the puddle of alcohol which ignited and lit the approaching Grimm on fire. "Now we can leave!" Weiss said as she and Ruby grabbed Qrow's arm and dragged him out of the room. "Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you?! What's..." Qrow asked until he looked back and saw the approaching Grimm that Carmine and Laurel were shooting at.

The two turned and ran out of the room, Carmine grabbed Qrow and threw him over his shoulder before he bolted out of the house with Ruby, Weiss, and Laurel in tow. Carmine placed Qrow into the trailer with the others, he climbed into the back as Yang started up her bike and wasted no time in driving away. Carmine fished a box out of his bag and opened the lid "Yang! Stop!" Carmine yelled before Yang stopped the bike "What?!" Yang yelled, obviously scared. "You're gonna miss the fireworks." Carmine said as he turned the key, pressed a few numbers, flipped a switch, and held down a red button.

Within seconds, massive explosions ripped through the houses and engulfed the farm house in fire. Shockwaves shook snow that had built up on tree branches and fire quickly melted them, black smoke filled the sky as the fire raged and explosives continued to detonate, a few chunks of wood fell from the sky as a burning mattress crashed into the snow followed by a burning corpse. "Huh, guess I missed one." Carmine said as the others looked on in horror, explosions echoed in the distance as Yang started to drive away. Carmine placed the EDD back into his bag before he kept his rifle at the ready, Laurel and Regalia pulled their ear plugs out before they placed them in their pockets "How did you know to put ear plugs in?" Regalia asked, Carmine chuckled "Cerberus of The Grimm Reapers, he was actually a doctor from Atlas who was disgraced for his unethical experiments and he continued to work under the name of 'Cerberus' and was protected by The Grimm Reapers." Carmine explained. "Is that why you were unaffected by those Grimm?" Ruby asked, Carmine nodded.

"The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... always." Maria said as she recited what she had read in the book she found. Oscar read from the book "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired." Oscar said as he read the entries in the book.

"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked." She said before she took the book from Oscar. "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left." Maria said before she tossed the book into the snow as they continued down the trail.

"I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up." Weiss said as she apologized to Ruby, Yang stopped driving and turned around "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe." Yang said as she apologized as well. "It's not your fault. It was those... things." Blake said as Carmine sat down next to her and Weiss, he wrapped his arms around the two ladies. "I should have taken action sooner, but I didn't want to alarm you, I just wanted guys to get some rest." Carmine said, Maria shook her head "I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be." Maria said as she lightly tapped her prosthetic eyes.

"Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?" Ruby asked, everyone turned to look at the short lady. "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes." Maria said with a smile.

 ***Cue Flashback (Nope, too much writing) ***

"But I wasn't... I went into hiding soon after." Maria said as she wrapped up her backstory. Qrow looked on shocked "I can't believe it. You... You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared..." Qrow said as he continued to look shocked. Oscar seemed confused "How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked, Qrow lightly shook his head "You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper." Qrow explained.

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way." Maria said, Blake shook her head "How can you say that?" Blake asked confused, Maria sighed as she looked up at the students "Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already." Maria explained.

After hearing what Maria said, Yang looked down at the snow on the ground. "It's... comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape." Maria said as she looked at each of the students. "Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did." Ruby said before her scroll started to ring.

"It's Jaune!" She said as she answered the call and put it on speaker. "Uh, hello?" Ruby said as she answered the call. "Ruby! Oh, thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!" Jaune said through the speaker, everyone looked around confused "The city? Wait..." Ruby said before Yang drove forward up a hill to the top.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we've arrived in Argus." Yang said as they looked out over a port town. the Valor sat in the harbor as Atlas VTOLs flew around Argus, as Carmine looked down at his scroll that was going off. He opened the device and answered the call "Go for Carmine." He said as he adjusted his feet. "Hey boss, it's Verde. Listen, uh, they kind of… seized the ship." Verde said through the ear piece. Carmine lowered the phone from his ear and looked at Yang "Drive!" Carmine yelled as he readied his rifle.

"What?! Are you gonna take on all of Atlas?!" Weiss asked confused, Carmine shrugged "If I have to." Carmine said as the motorcycle pulled the trailer down the hill to the front gate. Carmine quickly shot up and leaped out of the trailer before he sprinted into Argus, Laurel and Regalia sighed "Fuck, we'll go after him." They said as they jumped out of the trailer. Carmine bobbed and weaved as he moved through the crowd of people, Carmine came to a stop and looked around the town until he heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, well! You got a lot of nerve to show up here." A bald man with scar down the side of his cheek said as he walked toward Carmine. "Thomas Lazu, how've you been you son of a bitch!" Carmine said as he embraced the man in a bear hug. "I just want to say, thank you again, for getting me out of that hell hole. For the longest time, I thought that place would be my tomb, but you left and the next thing I know is people are running around like a headless chicken saying, 'they're coming' repeatedly." Thomas said as he let go of Carmine.

"So, this is what you look like with full gear." Thomas said as he patted the rifleman on the arm. "Well, I just stuck with what worked. Change is hard whenever you find Heavy IBAs comfortable as hell." Carmine said as he adjusted his vest. "I… heard about what happened in the forest a couple years ago, my condolences." Thomas said as he placed his hand on Carmine's shoulder. "Yeah, I wasn't the same for a while afterward. I was almost on a self-destructive path until I saw Sapphire's photo on my dresser, her loving eyes telling me to go on and live. So, I put down the bottle, picked up the weights, and got my shit together before I started at Beacon." Carmine explained as Laurel and Regalia came running up.

"Carmine, don't do anything stupid." Laurel said, winded as he fell to his knees. Carmine chuckled "Don't worry guys, I mean I was gonna raise hell, but then I ran into this guy. Laurel, Regalia, this is Thomas Lazu. He's the man who helped me unlock that energy thing I did in the one vs eight match back at Beacon." Carmine explained as he introduced everyone. "I met him when The Grimm Reapers had me as a prisoner, he talked to me and kept me sane." Carmine said as Laurel and Regalia shook Thomas's hand.

"Say, Thomas, do you know where the Devil's HQ is? I need to pay them a visit really quick." Carmine said as he rubbed his hands together, Thomas nodded "Yeah, go to the end of the block and hook right before you cut into an alley two doors down. Look for a pentagram." Thomas explained, Carmine nodded "Cool, you wanna come with?" Carmine asked but Thomas shook his head "No son, this old man is done with the action in his life." Thomas said as two kids looked out an open window behind him "Hey Grandpa, who are you talking to?" One of the kids asked as Carmine waved to them. "Oh, just an old friend of mine." Thomas said with a smile, Carmine chuckled "Glad you found peace, Thomas. You take care of yourself, now." Carmine said, Thomas laughed "I could say the same to you when you're not getting shot, stabbed, or blown up." Thomas said as he laughed, the bald man turned and walked back into his house as Carmine continued down the street.

"Let's see, one… two… alley way." Carmine said as he walked down the narrow corridor and entered a large opening that was barren, he looked around the area until he found a manhole cover with a pentagram on it. "Laurel, help me with this." Carmine said as he grabbed one of the openings, Laurel grabbed the other and lifted the cover, one by one they climbed into the sewer before Carmine closed the cover behind them. He landed on the concrete and clicked the light on his Five-Seven on to illuminate the area, when they are lit up, they came face to face with demonic figures and what looked like a sacrifice alter.

Carmine, Laurel, and Regalia slowly moved along the walkway as they moved deeper into the sewer "What the fuck was that?" Regalia asked in a hushed tone, Carmine chuckled "That's how they keep kids and nosey adults out." Carmine said as they moved down another passageway. As they walked down the walkway, they came up to a large metal door that had a pentagram painted in red paint, Carmine reached up and slammed his fist on the door five times. "What?" A voice asked as an eye slit opened on the door "I need to speak to Duke, tell him Titan is here." Carmine said, the slit closed as a series of locks unlocked and the door slowly opened with a spine-chilling creak.

The trio walked into the dark room that was dimly lit by skulls with candles inside them "God, this is creepy." Regalia said as she wrapped her arms around herself, a masked man opened another metal and ushered them in. This room was lined with monitors, maps, and file cabinets, multiple people ran across the room to other rooms carrying files while few answered calls at a few desks. "What the hell just happened?" Laurel asked as he looked back into the dark, demonic room they just left.

"Namaste, mother fucker!" A man with a mohawk said as he leaped off a second-floor balcony, Carmine laughed as he walked up and bumped chests with the man "How you been, Duke?" Carmine asked the man, Duke chuckled as he gestured around them "Well, we fucking upgraded! We tapped into the signal relay and have been getting their alerts two minutes before they got them. So, we've been able to respond and are more effective than the Atlas mooks." Duke said as he showed them the reaction map with multiple cameras of live feed from squadrons of Devil Disciples, some engaging multiple tangos.

"Well, god damn." Carmine said as he looked around, Duke held up his finger "But wait, there's more. Since the Vega and Vale incident a couple years ago, the Devil's Disciples, Viper Legion, and the 184th Mistral Militia all linked up and will respond in unison to any threat if it warrants such a response." Duke said as he pointed out a joint operation board, he gestured to a marble wall to the left. Carmine turned his attention to the wall and saw multiple plaques on the wall that read 'Dedicated to the brave warriors of Operation Reaper Killer.' Laurel and Regalia walked up and read the plaques "Wolf Pack led by Carmine and Onyx Sable, Viper Legion led by Harlequin Flae, Devil's Disciples led by Duke Snow, and the 184th led by Titus Quinn. Wow, this threat must have been bad, but how come we never heard of it?" Laurel asked.

"Simple, because the council covered it up. Atlas couldn't afford for the world to know that their experimental weaponry fell into the hands of terrorists and it took four mercenary groups to stop them, and even then, we received no thanks or medals. Just mean looks and those fuckers at Atlas turn their noses up at us." Duke said as he rubbed his hands together. "Now you know why I hate the Atlas military so much, we get our hands dirty and they're hesitant to pay us, let alone acknowledge us." Carmine said before Duke laughed "Oh, you wouldn't believe how many contracts we did for those fuckwads at the port." Duke said as he sat down in a large leather rolling chair.

"Wait, what happened in Vega?" Regalia asked, Carmine and Duke rubbed the back of their heads as they sucked in air through their teeth. "What we do know is that while we were meeting in Vale and the Devils were assaulting a bunker in Mistral, multiple people walked into a large convention hall on the day there was a comic con going on and opened fire. Over three hundred and fifty-four people were killed, while eighty others were wounded." Duke explained as he pulled up photographs on one of the monitors, the sights were horrifying as it showed the Vega massacre. The floor was covered in blood and splattered on the walls that were riddled with bullet holes as bodies of men and women littered the floors.

"What the fuck?!" Laurel and Regalia exclaimed simultaneously as Duke turned the pictures off, Carmine scratched the back of his head underneath his hood before he shifted the weight to his right leg. "So, the reason I stopped by, those shit fucks captured my battleship and I'll be damned if I'll stand by and let them take it after I recaptured it from the White Fang. I'm getting it back and we should voice our oppositions to these shit sticks." Carmine said as he cracked his knuckles, Duke developed a grin as he stood up and pressed a single button on his desk.

A pair of double doors opened on the side of the wall before multiple armored men walked out onto the main floor, they wore all black body armor with black metal masks that had two horns on the head, there were four who wore black Maska-1Sch helmets and carried an RPD LMG, an RPK LMG, an M249 SAW LMG, and an MG-42 LMG. The others carried ARX-160s, CZ-805 BRENs, H&K XM-8s, and H&K G3s, they all carried MP-9s as their sidearms while Duke had a MR-412 REX on his hip. Duke grabbed his MK-14 Mod 0 EBR and pulled back the bolt on the side of the rifle.

"So, are we doing this? We got some choice words for them and they owe us some Lien for us getting our hands dirty." Duke said as he walked toward Carmine, the rifleman shook the marksman hand as they shared a hardy laugh. "Come on, we'll take the new BTR-94 and BTR-4s that we just got in." Duke said as he led the Carmine, Laurel, Regalia, and the rest of the Disciples to the back. They walked into cold dark room before Duke flipped a switch and illuminated a large garage that had multiple APCs lined up.

"Very nice, let's get going." Carmine said as he, Duke, Regalia, Laurel, and seven other Disciples climbed into the back of a BTR-4 as the other Disciples boarded the other BTRs and started the APCs up. A man pulled a chain and lifted a large metal door that let sunlight shine into the dimly lit garage, the BTRs pulled out and up the curved pathway that led to Argus. The BTRs drove into the city and were met with a series of claps and cheers from citizens walking down the street.

"Alright, are we ready for this?" Duke asked as the convoy came to a halt, Carmine climbed out of the top hatch and sat on the roof as he tapped into the Argus audio systems. He looked ahead toward a bridge that was outside of the Atlas base "Is that Weiss and Blake?" Carmine asked himself as he squinted his eyes, he shook his head and banged on the roof of the APC before the convoy continued. Heavy rock music played loudly from surrounding speakers, loud guitar riffs echoed through the city as the group on the turned to face the source.

 **Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC**

"Is that… Carmine?" Weiss asked Blake as the convoy drove down the road.

 **All you women who want a man of the street an' don't know which way you wanna turn Just keep a-coming and put your hand out to me 'Cause I'm the one who's going to make you burn.**

Carmine sat on the roof of the lead BTR as the convoy drove down the street and neared the bridge.

 **I'm going to take you down, oh, down, down, down. So, don't you fool around, I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger!**

 **Shoot to thrill play to kill, too many women too many pills, yeah. Shoot to thrill play to kill, I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will!**

The mass group backed up to the side of the gate as the BTRs occupied the bridge in front of the base.

 **I'm like evil I get under your skin, just like a bomb that's ready to blow. Cause I'm illegal, I got everything that all you women might need to know. I'm gonna take you down, yeah down, down, down. So, don't you fool around, I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger.**

Carmine hopped off the lead BTR as he slowly walked toward the gate, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll before he clicked the music off. He cleared his throat and looked at the two guards "Carmine, they're not gonna listen to you." Yang said dismissively, Carmine chuckled and looked at the two guards "I want my ship and my crew back, now." Carmine said with anger in his voice. The guards huffed "The ship is property of Atlas Military, have a good day, sir." One of the guards said. "Fine, then I want to see whomever is in charge, or else." Carmine said vaguely, one of the guards scoffed "Or else what?" He asked arrogantly, Carmine chuckled "I take it by force and you both know I could." Carmine said as he grabbed the shirts and pulled them close to the gate "Now. Go. Get. Them." Carmine said as he exhaled steam slowly from his gas mask. The guards jogged away like squares as the Disciples disembarked the multiple BTRs and formed a line behind Carmine.

Within minutes, the guards returned and announced in unison "Introducing Special Operative Caroline Cordovin!" The guards said as a short woman walked out from behind them. "I've already heard what your other little friends had to say." Caroline said as she looked at RWBY, RNJ, Qrow, and Maria before she looked at Carmine who towered over her. "I'm not here for that, I'm here for my ship. I want it back, or else." Carmine said, Caroline scoffed "And who are you?" She asked with an arrogant tone, Carmine pulled his gas mask off and revealed his face to the cool sea air.

"Carmine Sable, leader of The Wolf Pack and according to YOUR database from Ironwood himself, Commanding Officer Fourth Tier. But you can run and check that if you want." Carmine said with a shit eating grin, the woman growled before she looked at one of the guards "Go check." She said as she put her arms behind her back as Carmine stepped out of the way, Duke stepped forward and eyed the woman "You owe us some Lien, three million to be exact." Duke said, the short lady laughed loudly and wiped a tear away "And why would I do that?" She asked with a smug look, Duke knelt to her level and stared her down "Because we don't have problem killing every last person on this base and making it look like someone went crazy." Duke said as the Disciples all cocked their weapons and the BTRs started up.

Caroline gulped as droplets of sweat formed on her head "Right, do you take check?" She asked, Duke nodded as Maria busted out laughing "Oh, not so tough now are ya, Cordo?" Maria asked as the guards returned "Operative Cordovin, his info checks out. He technically out ranks you, ma'am." The guard said as Carmine pushed himself off the wall "Now, go get my crew." Carmine said with venom to Cordovin who saluted "Yes sir." She said before she ran into the base, Carmine gestured to everyone as he walked in, the BTRs slowly pulled into the base as they took point.

"Sir, why are these heathens with you?" One of the guards asked which caused Carmine to stop in his place, he turned around quickly and got in the guards face "Son, you wanna say that again? These men are my brothers and YOU WILL SHOW THEM THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE!" Carmine yelled, the guard visible shook as Carmine backed away "Now, get out of my sight." Carmine said before the guards ran away into the base.

"So, what the fuck was that about?" Yang asked as everyone stared in concern, Duke cleared his throat and got everyone's attention "Carmine and I, along with members of Viper Legion and the 184th all fought together against the Grimm Reapers at the siege of Vale. A lot of good men died that day and Atlas buried it along with the Vega massacre, that's why you've never heard of it before." Duke said as he explained the past war. "So, when that man called us heathens, he spit on the graves of all the men and women who died during the Siege and it pissed Carmine off." Duke explained.

"And who are you?" Yang asked, Duke chuckled "Where are my manners, Duke Snow, leader of the Devil's Disciples. These are the Disciples, we're mercenaries like Carmine is and like the Wolf Pack was." Duke explained as he rolled up his sleeve and displayed a tattoo of a pentagram with a Ursa head in the middle. As they conversed, three men walked out of the base and up to Carmine, "Phantom, you son of a bitch! How've you been?" Duke asked as he embraced the man in a bear hug.

"I've been good, I'm glad I got on the right side of all this BS." Phantom said before he looked at Carmine "As we speak, they are refueling and rearming the Valor as well as the Harbinger." Phantom informed Carmine who nodded "Thank You, Phantom." Carmine said as he shook the man's hand. "Carmine, where did you go? We pulled up to Argus and you just split with Laurel and Regalia chasing after you." Blake asked her boyfriend, Carmine shrugged "I ran into Argus in a blind anger, but I ran into an old friend and he directed me to the Devil's lair." Carmine explained as he bumped arms with Duke.

"Oh, I forgot to mention but we formed The Onyx Coalition in honor of your brother, and we want the Wolf Pack to be in the coalition with us. We'll still accept our own contracts, but we'll come to each-others aid and link up when it is warranted, like during the Siege. And to welcome you back, we're gonna retake Vale while you continue to Atlas." Duke said as a few Disciples raised their weapons in solidarity. "Well, there are some Atlas personal there so y'all better be careful. I greatly appreciate it, Duke." Carmine said as he noticed Cordovin speaking to Ruby and the group "Excuse me, Duke. Clearly someone doesn't learn." He said as he patted Duke on the shoulder.

"You civilians are clearly incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus. So, allow me to say this slowly, with smaller words: This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas! And it is my duty to uphold them, as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task." Cordovin said as she berated the huntsmen and huntresses in training, Carmine was about to speak when Laurel stopped him "Let them handle it, you can't be there all the time to defend them." Laurel said in a hushed tone.

"Or maybe Atlas just wanted to get you as far from the kingdom as possible. **"** Maria said before she laughed to herself, Cordovin growled as she clenched her fists "You're just like the rest of these Argus ingrates! This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our Atlesian ancestors, and what do we get in return? The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats!" She said as she raised her fists and made various arm movements. Ruby stepped forward slightly "Please, we know your kingdom had nothing to do with the Fall of Beacon. We were there." Ruby pleaded with the tiny woman.

"No one's happy about the Atlas borders or embargo, but I know General Ironwood is just worried. It's why we need to talk to-" Weiss started to say before the tiny woman cut her off "The General is no coward! Atlas is strong. If all the kingdoms plan to make us their enemy, then so be it! Atlas will prevail!" She said proudly before she sighed. "If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then, of course, the Atlas military will escort her home. But the kingdom will not be responsible for her "friends" of... questionable character." Cordovin said as she looked at Blake and Cobalt.

"Now you can go." Laurel said as he released the Dog of War. Carmine walked toward the group of students and spoke up "What the fuck was that, Cordovin?! I don't think I heard you right. Did you just refer to my girlfriend as a 'questionable character'?!" Carmine yelled as anger and venom filled his body. Cordovin stuttered and stammered over her words "Wha… well… I… she…" She started to say before Carmine held his hand up. "Just stop and do something for the first time in your life, listen. These people are with me, these people are my friends, and you will treat them as you would treat myself." Carmine said, Cordovin lowered her head "Yes sir, I am deeply sorry." Cordovin said as she tried to apologize. Carmine scoffed "No you're not, if you were truly sorry then you wouldn't have said it in the first place, knowing they were with me." Carmine scolded the woman before he turned his head "Get out of my sight." Carmine said as he dismissed the woman.

"Holy shit, Carmine. What happened to you?" Yang asked confused, Carmine chuckled as he looked at the blonde girl. "I'm tired of seeing the people I care about being walked on, especially one of my girlfriends. I'll be damned if I let this shit sticks stomp all over us." Carmine said as he put his hands behind his back. "So, what now?" Weiss asked, Jaune raised his hand "One of my sisters lives nearby, she wouldn't mind us staying with her for a couple nights." Jaune said, Carmine raised his hands "Hey, now there's an idea." Carmine said as Duke leaned against one of the BTRs. "You guys go ahead, we're waiting for these fuckers to bring us our Lien." Duke said, Carmine nodded and led the group away from the base.

"So, what's the plan for Atlas? What is Ozpin's plan?" Nora asked, Oscar looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his head. "What is it?" Ren asked as they walked up a flight of stairs, Carmine sat his bag down in the corner of the room as the Ruby filled Jaune, Nora, and Ren in on the events from earlier. Jaune balled his fist and slammed it into the wall, the plaster cracked as he removed his fist. "Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, Jaune gritted his teeth "Everything we did was for nothing!" Jaune said angrily, Blake stood up from the couch and walked over to the middle of the room "That's not true." Blake said in a calm tone, but Nora grew angrier "Really? Because it sure does sound like it." Nora said in an angry tone, Ren shook his head "If Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to win this?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

Everyone was silent for a bit while Carmine laid his head against the wall, Jaune scoffed "Wow... Great plan everyone!" Jaune said sarcastically, everyone looked hurt as Oscar stepped forward "Look, none of this is great, we know. But we're not the bad guys here." Oscar said defensively, Jaune scoffed "Are we sure about that?" Jaune asked, Carmine looked up at the blonde male "Mother fucker, do you honestly think we wanted **ANY** of this? We have been through a lot of bullshit and are not gonna take this after everything we've done." Carmine said with venom on his tongue.

"What?" Oscar asked confused, Jaune got in Oscar's face "He's in your head, isn't he? Did you already know about this?" Jaune asked Oscar in an angry tone. "He didn't know any of it!" Weiss said as she defended Oscar, Jaune grabbed Oscar by the throat and slammed him against the wall which caused Carmine to shoot off the ground. "How much longer can we even trust him?!" Jaune said as he picked the boy off the ground. Carmine pulled out the Judge and put it to Jaune's head before he cocked the hammer back "Put the kid down." Carmine said as furious anger resonated off him.

"How do we even know it's really him?! What if we have been talking to that liar this whole time?!" Jaune asked as he held Oscar off the floor, "Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed as she glared at him as he glared back at her, he looked back at Oscar who cowered in fear, Jaune dropped Oscar and stepped back a bit. He walked up the stairs and slammed a door shut, Carmine un-cocked the Judge and placed it back in the holster. He picked Oscar up and straightened up his shirt "You okay, kid?" Carmine asked, Oscar nodded as he rubbed his throat.

"Is he... gonna be okay?" Yang asked, Nora and Ren sighed "I don't know!" Nora said before she left the room, "I think it would be best if we had some time to ourselves." Ren said before he walked up the stairs.

Carmine unclipped his shotgun and his rifle from his back before he sat down on the couch, Blake sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder while Weiss sat on his lap as he wrapped his arm around her waist. A woman with long blonde hair walked out of one of the back rooms and looked around the room "Oh, hello. I don't think we've met." The woman said, Carmine looked at Blake and Weiss before he chuckled "I'm… a little stuck. I'm Carmine Sable, leader of The Wolf Pack." Carmine said, the woman chuckled "I'm Saphron Arc, Jaune is my brother." Saphron said as she semi-bowed, Carmine chuckled "Thank you for welcoming us into your home." Carmine said as Blake and Weiss were passed out against him.

Saphron giggled "Tough job having two girlfriends and being a mercenary?" Saphron asked as she sat down on one of the sofas. Carmine chuckled "Yeah, but thankfully the four major groups formed a coalition so now I know I won't be running into a war alone. I take it you remember the four main groups?" Carmine asked as he rested his head against the wall, Saphron nodded "Yeah, I remember seeing the news break about the shootout at the Schnee Gala in Atlas." Saphron said, Carmine chuckled "Yeah, not our finest moments." Carmine said as he looked at the roof.

Suddenly, Yang ran into the room "Carmine!" Yang yelled, her voice jolted him awake along with Blake and Weiss, Carmine looked up at Yang who was panting "What's up?" Carmine asked as Weiss stood up and let Carmine off the couch while Verde, Phantom, and Cobalt walked into the living room with Regalia, Laurel, and Celadon. Jaune, Nora, and Ren ran down the stairs "Where's the fire?" Nora asked as she looked around, Yang shook her head "Oscar's missing." Yang said, Carmine nodded "Right, Cobalt, go prep the Harbinger, Phantom, find Duke. Celadon and Verde, take to the roof and use your thermal optics to search the streets. Regalia and Laurel, you're with me." Carmine instructed.

Carmine grabbed his bag, his shotgun, and his rifle before they all ran out of the house "Alright, I'll be here." Saphron said as she was left with just Jaune and Nora "We'll find him and be back as soon as possible." Jaune said before he ran out of the house. "Oscar!" Laurel and Carmine yelled as they slowly passed through alleyway after alleyway.

Carmine ran through the street before he came to a stop in a park, he looked around and found Jaune standing near a statue. "It's really beautiful, isn't it?" A short red-haired woman said as she looked at the statue, Jaune nodded "Yeah... uh, why here?" Jaune asked as Carmine listened in from behind a large oak tree. The red-haired woman smiled at Jaune "She trained here, Sanctum Academy. Everyone was crushed when she chose Beacon over Haven. No one wanted to see her go, but... it was where she wanted to be. I'm just glad she was surrounded by such amazing people." The red-haired woman explained.

Jaune looked down at the snow-covered ground and shook his head lightly "She should be standing here…" Jaune started to say before the red-haired woman shook her head "She is." The woman said as she held a bouquet of flowers in her arm. Jaune had confusion plastered on his face as he looked at Pyrrha's statue "She understood that she had a responsibility... to try. I don't think she would regret her choice, because a Huntress would understand that there really wasn't a choice to make. And a Huntress is what she always wanted to be." The red-haired woman said, Jaune forced a smile as he faced the woman "Pyrrha never got the chance to graduate... But she was a Huntress." Jaune said proudly, Carmine smiled as he hid behind the large oak tree.

"Thank you." The red-haired woman said as she wiped a tear away, Jaune attention was caught by Nora and Ren who were calling his name "Jaune!" Ren yelled, Carmine quietly snuck into the shrubs and out into a side street where he met up with Laurel and Regalia "Nothing, how about you?" Laurel asked, Carmine shook his head "No, but I did find something else." Carmine said as he gestured to the statue of Pyrrha.

As Carmine looked around the street, he felt his scroll go off in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was Phantom, he opened his scroll and put it to his ear "Go for Titan." Carmine said before Phantom started to speak "Two things: One, I think I found Qrow and Oscar. Two, Loki's back." Phantom said, Carmine's body went cold as his scroll dropped into the snow. Laurel grabbed the scroll quickly and put it to his ear "Talk to me." Laurel said before Phantom spoke through the ear piece. "Alright, we're on our way." Laurel said before he closed the scroll and handed it back to Carmine. Carmine stared into the ether as Phantom's words echoed in his mind as he stood in the street.

"I… I shot her… multiple times. I blew her up, there's no way, there's no fucking way that she's alive." Carmine said in disbelief. Regalia placed her hand on Carmine's shoulder as he looked at the snow-covered brick road "Don't worry, we'll take care of her when the time comes." Regalia said as she reassured the rifleman. "Yeah, and now we got the Disciples here, so I dare this bitch to try something. Let's go!" Carmine said before the trio took off running down the street toward Saphron's house, they arrived minutes later to find Qrow passed out on the steps.

"I…I have no words." Carmine said as he nudged Qrow's leg, Yang shook her head "I've never seen him this bad." Yang said as she looked at her uncle, Carmine knelt next to Qrow and examined the side of his neck. "What are you looking for?" Ruby asked as she looked over his shoulder, Carmine pushed Qrow's head to the side and looked at his shoulder "Well, another person from my past has returned, a person I swore that I killed." Carmine said which caused Ruby and Yang to look at each other. "Who is it?" Ruby asked, Carmine looked back at her and was about to speak when Team JNR walked up with Saphron with a small child in her arms and a woman with dark hair next to her.

"I'm sure this looks great to the neighbors." The dark-haired woman said sarcastically before Celadon leaped down from the roof, Verde walked out of the shadows, Cobalt flew down from the sky, and Phantom emerged from a black cloud of smoke that formed on the ground. "Well, I stand corrected." The dark-haired woman said, Carmine stood up and walked over to Phantom as Team RWBY and JNR conversed with Saphron and the dark-haired woman. "How do you know it's Loki?" Carmine asked, Phantom pulled up a picture on his scroll and showed it to Carmine, the photo depicted a woman with silver hair, a robotic left arm, a robotic right leg, and a metallic jaw with jagged teeth.

"How is she alive? I blew her up and shot her multiple times." Carmine said as he shook his head, Carmine tilted his head "Where did you take this picture at?" Carmine asked, Phantom pulled up a map of Remnant and zoomed in to the coast of Mistral. "It was around here when we were sailing around the coast, I stepped out and used a pair of binoculars to view the coast. That's where I saw her and I had Cobalt fly over to snap that picture, that's her but she doesn't seem like the sociopath she used to be. She seems to be a shell of her former self." Phantom explained before he closed his scroll.

Carmine shook his head "A hand grenade is still a hand grenade, even if the pin is still in the grenade." Carmine said before he turned around and rejoined the group as the door opened "Oh, I was wondering when you'd get back." Oscar said as he stood in the doorway, Carmine stared at the boy as RWBY and JNR tackled him "Surprised you didn't join them." Saphron said as she stood next to Carmine. He pointed to the hand grenade that dangled from his Heavy IBA "Would be very bad if the pin were to come out." Carmine said as he walked up the steps with the others following him indoors.  
As everyone walked inside, Qrow stood up slowly and walked inside before he started up the stairs "Is something cooking?" The dark woman asked, Oscar chuckled "Oh, uh, yeah. I thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after... spending all day looking for me, apparently." Oscar said, Jaune sighed and stepped forward "It's my fault we were all out there in the first place. Oscar, I am so sorry for earlier. I was way, way out of line, and what I said…" Jaune started to say, but Oscar cut him off "No, it's okay. These past few days, I've feared the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be... me. But I did some thinking, and I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left." Oscar said as he seemed to come to terms with his own mortality.

"Good. This team isn't the same without you, Oscar." Jaune said as he placed his hand on Oscar's shoulder, suddenly the smoke alarm went off and shocked them back to reality "Oh no, the casserole." Oscar exclaimed, Saphron laughed "We're on it, chef." Saphron said before she and dark-haired woman jogged into the kitchen.

Ruby sternly looked at her uncle who was walking up the stairs "Where are you going now?" Ruby asked, Qrow sighed "I don't want to get in the way of your celebration." Qrow said bitterly, Ruby shook her head "Look, Ruby, I'm glad you kids worked out, uh, whatever all that was. But the fact is, we're not a single step closer to Atlas." Qrow said, Carmine and Jaune stepped forward at the same time. "Actually, I think I have an idea. But... it's sort of a "no-going-back" kind of idea." Carmine and Jaune said at the same time.

The rifleman and the swordsman looked at each other confused "Uh… you go first, kid." Carmine said as he stepped back a bit. "With Cordo on watch, only Atlas airships have the clearance to leave for Solitas. So... we... steal an Atlas airship." Jaune said, Ruby looked at Carmine confused "Why not his airship?" Ruby asked, Carmine chuckled as Jaune had a look of realization on his face. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Jaune said, Carmine held his hand up "I think we're going to need another airship, as mine plays the role as a 'guardian'. So, we'll need another one or should I say, I wouldn't mind having another one in my arsenal." Carmine said as he crossed his arms.

Weiss looked at her boyfriend concerned "That's not just breaking the law. That's... that's definitely worse." Weiss said, Carmine nodded his head "We'd be court martialed and tried, while I would be blacklisted and imprisoned for crimes against the kingdom." Carmine said which caused the room to go dead silent. "How would we even get onto the airfield?" Yang asked as she broke the silence. "That part I haven't quite figured out yet. But–" Jaune started to say before Qrow cut him off "Okay, stop. Just... stop! Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas Military we're talking about." Qrow said before he sighed slowly "For your sake, just drop this." Qrow said which caused Team RWBY and JNR to look discouraged.

Ruby looked up at her uncle with a determined look on her face "I want to hear him out." She said to her uncle in protest. "Ruby…" Qrow started to say before Ruby cut him off "I want to hear him out! I know you're trying to protect us, that you're afraid we can't do it, but right now, I don't really care what you think!" Ruby yelled which shocked everyone. Ruby looked at her friends that stood around the room "Just because you don't have an idea, doesn't mean we're out of options! Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we still managed to get this far anyway. We've been in bad situations before, and we don't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do. We just did it our way! And I say we do it our way. And if you think you can keep up with us 'kids'… we'd be happy to have you." Ruby stated.

Qrow looked down sadly before Maria laughed "Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either." Maria said to Qrow, but Qrow didn't say anything. Carmine looked up at Jaune "Alright kid, what's your plan? You got the full support of The Onyx Coalition." Carmine said as he leaned against a support column. "Well, so Carmine, you'll escort Weiss to an airship stating that you'll take her back to Atlas, but Maria will be in her suitcase. Meanwhile, Blake and Yang will disable the tower that runs to the Argus base." Jaune started to say, Ruby raised her hand "Why can't Carmine just take one?" Ruby asked, Carmine chuckled "I out rank her on a technicality." Carmine said.

"And what is that?" Qrow asked from the stairs, Carmine looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. "I hate the man, but I also admire his military strategies, I still hold a grudge against him for the fact that he insisted on using these poor excuses for soldiers to protect a train carrying extremely dangerous weaponry, then expect a six man team to go in and destroy it with nothing more than some RPGs and small arms." Carmine said as he seemed to dance around the question. "Carmine! What technicality?" Blake asked as everyone moved in closer.

"Shit, okay. Apparently, Ironwood is my father." Carmine said which caused the entire room to fall deathly silent.

 **A/N: Boom, another chapter down! Oh, this one took me a while to write, I feel like I should be writing my own fiction and making hella bread. Be sure to check out Wolf Pack and my new fic, Lost in Familiar Lands which is for the DxD universe (I had an idea that ran through my head for years, I finally made it a reality.) And check out Team BAWM which is co-written by myself, RebelKira, and TheBurningRuler. Remember to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review, and as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.**


	19. Titan Rising Update *cries internally*

Hey there, it's your friendly neighborhood Nightmare. Well, it seems that I've hit another block, a writer's block. I've wanted to sit down and write a new Chapter for Wolf Pack and then one for Titan Rising, but life said "Fuck you and your hobbies." cause apparently I'm covering all the shifts at work and I got no paid days off or sick days. FUCK! Not to mention trying to secure a **fucking** internship so I can graduate!!

Sorry, sorry. I've just been so busy and angry that I've just kinda... fizzled out. But like herpes, I too shall return and I'll be bringing the heat!!! So stay tuned, folks!!


	20. Titan Rising Update 2: Electric Boogaloo

Hey there folks, how we been? Good? Great. So, I just wanted to give a little update to you amazing folk, the fact that y'all like my content fills me with a feeling of happiness and pride. So on to the update, I was fortunately able to find an **alternative** to the internship dilemma by taking a Field Studies class and we got two new people at work so I got less hours now ( ** _confused celebration noises_** ).

So I hope to be able to get some new content out to y'all as soon as I can, I just need to find my motivation which seems to have gone the way of the Dodo. I honestly can't remember what it was that gave me all the inspiration for new chapters (also trying to continue Wolf Pack and see how the two experimental fics work [Smartphone: Yes, DxD: Maybe])

Anyway, just giving y'all an update and sorry I'm taking so long, mental recovery is a delicate process. Thanks for sticking around and enjoying my content, it truly means a lot. And as always, this is Nightmare 6-4, signing off.


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